Local Entertainment

ISSAQUAH, WA – If I Were a Rich Man, Matchmaker, Tradition, Sunrise Sunset, Do You Love Me?  --most people forget that all these wonderful songs are from just one musical, Fiddler on the Roof. This holiday season Village Theatre brings the beloved Tony Award-winning musical to both Issaquah and Everett stages. It has been almost 50 years since Tevye first sang on stage about his struggles to maintain tradition in his Russian-Jewish home; but as a consistent top pick from Village Theatre audiences as the show they most want to see, the public never tires of hearing this poor Jewish milkman’s tales of woe marrying off his three strong-willed older daughters.
 
In 1905 the customs of faith in the tiny Russian village of Anatevka are constantly threatened by the changing Tsarist rule. And as Tevye explains,
“without tradition, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!”
 
The original music is by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein. The original Broadway production opened in 1964 and ran for over 3000 performances. It remains one of Broadway’s top 20 longest running shows in history and has enjoyed a 1971 film adaptation and four Broadway revivals including the 2004 version starring Alfred Molina, Harvey Fierstein, Rosie O’ Donnell and Lea Michele.  This Village Theatre production has a beautiful Chagall-inspired set design and a large 27-person local cast of favorites including Eric Polani Jensen as Tevye and Bobbi Kotula as his wife Golde. This dynamic acting duo worked together to much acclaim on Village Theatre’s highly successful 2009 production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
 
Other Fiddler on the Roof cast members include: Jennifer Weingarten (Tzeitel/Grandma Tzeitel), Emily Cawley (Hodel), Mara Solar (Chava), Tatum Ludlam (Shprintze), Analiese Emerson Guettinger (Bielke), Joshua Carter (Motel), Aaron C. Finley (Perchik), Mike Spee (Fyedka), Laura Kenny (Yente), Matthew Posner (Lazar Wolf), Bob DeDea (Avram), Daniel Reaume (Constable) Vince Wingerter (Nachum) Allen Galli (Mordcha) Eric Ray Anderson (Rabbi) and Jon Lutyens (Mendel). The ensemble players include: Rachel Wilkie, Laura Abel, Julian Schrenzel, Adam Somers, Paul Flanagan, Cameron Lewis, Erica Row, Josh Feinsilber and Jonny Ozburn.
 
Fiddler on the Roof is directed by David Ira Goldstein. Bruce Monroe is the music director. Kathryn Van Meter is the choreographer with Bill Forrester as the scenic designer. Lighting Design is by Rick Paulsen, Costume Design is by Cynthia Savage, Prop Master is Monique Walker, Sound Design is by Brent Warwick and Brenda Walker is the Stage Manager.
 
About Village Theatre
Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining, quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 18,000 Subscribers and 183,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 120 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow’s audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 54,000 young people, families, and schools annually