Fiddler on the Roof

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Friday, November 20th, 2009
Evening performances at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances at 2:00 p.m.

Timeless Musical Promises Wonderful Entertainment for All - by Pippa Ingram

Light Fantastic Productions of Courtenay brings Fiddler on the Roof to the stage at the Sid Williams Theatre for eight performances during November. This is a must see show! The original production of the timeless musical opened on Broadway in 1964 and gained the distinction of being the first run of a musical, in history, to surpass the 3,000 performance mark and remains to date, one of the longest running musicals on Broadway. LFP can only bring you eight but they will be eight of the best!

Based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem, the story is set in the small village of Anatevka, Russia in 1905. It centres on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family traditions and religious tenets while outside influences encroach upon their lives. Not only must he cope with his three older daughters’ independence of mind and spirit as each one's choice of husband breaks with traditions of faith and society, but also with the tyrannical edict of the Tsar banishing all Jews from Russia, forcing them to flee to places all over the globe.

Not surprisingly, the music of Fiddler on the Roof has come to stand for Jewish culture. No other score has ever been so connected with an ethnic group but the lyrics are universal in their message. Despite some sombre moments, yet true to its genre as a musical, Fiddler on the Roof has some of the most wonderful songs ever composed. The exuberantly bombastic If I Were a Rich Man as Tevye daydreams himself into a more affluent life style, the poignant wedding song Sunrise, Sunset, Hodel’s heartwrenching Far From the Home I Love and the sorrowful Anatevka as the villagers make their exodus, leaving their homes for ever are prime examples of the heartfelt lyrics and diversity of music in the Tony award winning musical score.

Light Fantastic Productions has become well known for the quality shows they create with performers who hold true to the premise that excellent entertainment for the audience is their number one priority. Go to www.lightfantasticproductions.com for more about this wonderful production. Tickets are available at the SWT box office (250 338 2420) or online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.