Travelling from the small town of Anatevka, Russia to the stage in Goodrich is one of the most iconic musicals made in the last half century.
‘Fiddler on the Roof? is to be performed for the first time on the Goodrich High School stage at 7 p.m., May 14 and 15 at the Raymond C. Green Center for Performing Arts, 8029 S. Gale Road.
‘This is one of the largest productions that we have done to date. It has really stretched the cast to their limits,? said GHS Director Steve Mitchell.
Paul Docter, a GHS senior, played the lead, a poor, working class man named Tevye living in pre-revolutionary Russia.
‘Fiddler on the Roof? follows this man and his family through the trials of being peasants in early 20th century Russia, which includes Tevye having to deal with marrying off three of his five daughters as anti-semitism grows. The conflict comes to a head when his daughter, Hodel (Olivia June), chooses to marry Perchik (Thomas Flotemersch), a man of a non-Jewish background and his youngest daughter, Chava (Devyn Mitchell), runs off with Fyedka (Alec Gordon), a Russian youth who Tevye doesn’t highly regard. Tevye is forced to make a tough choice between the only thing he knows, Jewish tradition, and the changing and tumultuous times around him.
‘I try to pick a show that I feel the current students [in the acting department] will be successful at. With the large number of actors I had this year, ‘Fiddler? seemed to fit the best,? said Mitchell.
The cast of this play was large, considering all of the townspeople of Anatevka and the chorus during the musical numbers.
The main cast list includes Paul Docter, Melyssa Moors, PJ Drake, Olivia June, Devyn Mitchell, Katy Lieber, Rebecca Parker, Cameron Thompson, Thomas Flotemersch, Alec Gordon, Dylan Brown, Steven Brauer, Elizabeth Lawer, and Morgan Hoeffel.
The musical also features members of the GHS concert band, who play in the pit during the performances. Tickets for ‘Fiddler on the Roof? are $8 and will be on sale at the door prior to each showing. You may still reserve tickets for the last two performances by calling the box office one hour before each performance at 810-591-2220.