SEQUIM — “A fiddler on the roof . . . Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof.
“Trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy.
“You may ask, why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous? Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home.”
So begins the classic tale chosen for this year’s operetta at Sequim High School — and it’s “a wonderful show,” promised director Robin Hall.
She is leading the cast of nearly 50 students in “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Sequim High auditorium, 601 N. Sequim Ave., which plays tonight (Friday).
“Even if you’ve never seen it,” Hall added, “you know it: ‘If I Were a Rich Man,’ “Sunrise, Sunset,’” are just a couple of the songs that made “Fiddler” beloved since it opened on Broadway 51 years ago.
With a live orchestra, the production takes the stage at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 6 p.m. Thursdays through May 16; just one matinee is set for 2 p.m. this Saturday.
Tickets can be purchased via www.SHSoperetta.org and, if available, at the door up to 45 minutes before curtain.
Prices are $10 for children, students with ASB cards and seniors 65 and older; $12 for general admission and $15 for premium seats. All balcony seats are $10.
“Fiddler” is the story of Tevye, Golde and their daughters, Jews facing the worsening anti-Semitism of czarist Russia. Tevye, a poor dairyman, hopes to instill traditional values in his children.
“It’s still contemporary,” Hall said: “Faith, family, tradition.”
Hall praises music director John Lorentzen as well as his daughter Anne Lorentzen, the show’s volunteer choreographer, and costumer Becky Mitchell.
Likewise a volunteer, Mitchell researched the period and chose colorful ensembles for the cast — clothes that are much brighter than Hall expected.
Senior Ben Heintz plays Tevye; sophomore Victoria Hall is Golde. Sarah Isenberger, Sydney Negus and Brianna Dalton, all seniors, portray the three eldest daughters while Danny Willis, Dylan DePrati and Nicholas Fazio play their counterparts Fyedka, Motel and Perchik.
“There are so many big numbers,” Hall said.
“Even when I see it in rehearsals, some of it hits me, right in my heart.”
