Cast of Fiddler on the Roof

Fiddler on the Roof is one of the most enduring works of American musical theatre, based on stories by Sholem Aleichem about Jewish life in the Russian shtetl of Anatevka. With music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and a book by Joseph Stein, it premiered on Broadway in 1964 and won nine Tony Awards, becoming the first musical in history to surpass three thousand performances.

The show follows Tevye, a poor dairyman, as he tries to maintain Jewish tradition amid the changing values of his daughters and the growing threat of persecution under the Tsarist regime. Songs like «Sunrise, Sunset», «To Life» and «Tevye’s Dream» blend Ashkenazi klezmer influences with Broadway orchestration, giving the score its distinctive warmth and melancholy.

Cast recordings of Fiddler on the Roof span decades of Broadway, West End and film productions, including the landmark 1964 original cast and Norman Jewison’s 1971 film adaptation starring Chaim Topol. The musical remains a staple of regional and school theatre worldwide and a touchstone for how Jewish culture has been represented on the American stage.