The winner of nine Tony awards in 1964 and thousands of performances worldwide since then, the famous musical Fiddler on the Roof opened the weekend of November 3 performed by the LHS musical department. The musical is best

known for its humor, love, struggle, and, of course, breaking of tradition.

“Other than finally playing a human, this role was different in that it required me to be a moth- er figure. I had to convey strenuous emotions during the scene that Golde tells Tevye that Chava had married Fyedka. Feeling the pain of a mother basically losing her child was so emotionally and mentally taxing. It was probably one of the most difficult scenes I had done,” says senior Samantha Rizzo, playing Golde. She continues, “I am going to miss performing with my friends…

I grew up on that stage. Even though I will be continuing to perform, it won’t be the same without my close friends. I’ll also miss working with Max, my stage partner for the past three years…Drama club was one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t believe it has finally come to an end.”

The production would not have been possible without the direction by Vocal Director Kevin Harrington, Choral Instructor Barry Wyner, and Orchestra Di- rector Joseph Pallotta. The cast even brought Choreographer Jeff Davis into the picture this year, and he helped immensely with many numbers in the show. In addition, costumes were handled by Barbara Kirby and Tara Bridges, and the program coordinators were Rosanne Bogard and India Garone.

Set in the small town of Anatevka, Russia, in the pre-Revolutionary 20th century, the story revolves around Teyve (played by senior Max Cohen), the local milkman and father of five daughters. Tevye’s wife, Golde (played by senior Samantha Rizzo) humorously bickers with him throughout the show regarding their 25-year marriage. The story begins with the tale of the lives of this Jewish community through the opening number “Tradition” with the Fiddler (played by junior Sam Cohen) and the rest of the townspeople of Anatevka, all played by members of the ensemble. Resembling the period of time with their accents, costumes, traditional values, and ways of life, the cast really drew the audience into the story.

The matchmaker, Yente (played by senior Mikayla Layng), who often stole the show through comedic relief, arranges the match between Tevye’s oldest daughter, Tzeitel (played by sophomore Kara Vito), and the old widow butch- er Lazar Wolf (played by senior Zach Leder). The uplifting number “To Life,” then ensues, celebrating Lazar’s engagement. The show faces its first conflict with tradition when Teyve learns his daughter is  not in love with Lazar Wolf but rather the tailor Motel Kamzoil, her childhood friend (played by senior Eitan Markowitz). They plead for Tevye’s permission

to get married, and after much contemplation, he allows it for the sake of his daughter’s happiness.

The wedding day of Motel and Tzeitel arrives and the entire town of Anatevka is there to join and support the ceremony and sing the soft and alleviating song “Sunrise, Sunset” just before the real celebration of “The Wedding Dance” breaks out. The cast then impresses with the fun, skilled bottle dancers and wedding activities.

“Being a theater nerd that is also a Jew that also lives in Long Island, I was very familiar with the show Fiddler on the Roof. At first, I was a little disappointed about the show since my sister has just recently done it and I have seen fiddler thousands of times. But I soon learned during the rehearsal process about the beauty and importance of the show, and I was very excited to perform it,” says Markowitz. He continues, “Of course my favorite scene was the wedding where I was able to marry the love of my life, Kara Vito. It was so much fun dancing with the entire cast and feeling joy. This scene was also an important scene for Motel being he is able to marry who he wants and be happy, although breaking the Jewish tradition. I’ll miss being with all my friends and LHS theater family.”

Preceding the dance, tensions rise between Lazar and Tevye over his first approval for his daughter to marry him and not Motel. Perchik (played by senior Sean Gribbin), highly radical in his philosophies, decides to impede the argument by breaking a tradition: dancing with Tevye’s second daughter Hodel (played by junior Julia Tucker), a woman, which is unheard of. The connection that Perchik and Hodel forge sends them into marriage as well.

While Tevye approved the marriages of his first two daughters, he would not accept when his third daughter Chava (played by junior Lily Mata) makes the extreme choice to marry Fyedka (played by Koby Lazar), a Russian, who is a non- Jew. This was a grave tradition that he could not possibly just brush of his shoulder. Tevye did not give his full blessing towards the couple after a long contemplation during the “Chalaleh Sequence.”

As time developed, there were many rumors going around the town about the Russians invading Jewish communities, such as their own, and exiling them for good. In the distressing and sensitive scene of “Anatevka,” the Constable, played by fresh- man Luke Zaromatidis, leads a verbal, and almost physical, altercation between Tevye and the men, ordering them to leave Anatevka within the next three days. Chava and Fyedka say their goodbyes to the family; Motel and Tzeitel plan to travel to Poland until they saved enough money to reunite with the family; and Tevye, along with Golde and their two youngest daughters, plan to make their way to America. As they are forced to leave on such short notice, the Fiddler be- gins to play, a moment of great symbolism. All that is seen now is the people of Anatevka carrying the few possessions they can bring with them, moving at a slow, unfortunate pace and looking at the town for one last time before facing their unknown future.

The production’s seriousness suggests one thing: family over- takes traditions. The people of Anatevka embody their ongoing love for one another, and Tevye shows this through some points of conflict concerning his family. Also, the production shows how much parents really sacrifice, such as their identity, because of their love for their children. Also, the love people have for one another is true no matter who it is one loves, even if it is traditionally not accepted. “This year the role I played was more serious than the fun colorful characters of past years. At first I wasn’t thrilled about the show choice because Fiddler didn’t seem like it would be a fun show, but as time went on, we had fun putting it together and it was much more meaningful. I’m going to miss the memories I make with the members of the cast, crew, and pit and all of the traditions that we partake in each year,” says cast member and senior Jennifer Bien.

The entire cast, crew, and pit members performed equally as amazing all days of the production and overall worked the absolute hardest to make it a complete success. “The seniors, I felt, really came together to make our last show the best that it could be, along with everyone else. I felt it was a close-knit group, and we enjoyed every moment of the show. I’m going to miss being part of the crew next year,” says senior crew member Lydia Mascia. Max Cohen, after completing his last how at LHS with an amazing performance of Tevye, said, “It was amazing to be a part of such dedicated cast. Acting in a musical that covers such profound scenes as the importance of family, tradition, and prejudice has made me not only a better performer, but a better person and friend.” The show, approximately three hours long, brought laughter, enjoyment, and tears to the audience, concluding with an uproar of claps and cheers at curtain call.