A musical theatre classic that opens this week in New Westminster — and features Tri-City talent — tells a familiar tale after having premiered on Broadway more than half a century ago.
Fiddler on the Roof weaves the story of displaced people and their quest for a better life, a common theme today as Syrians flee their war-torn homeland to countries such as Canada.
“It’s so relevant given the refugee crisis going on,” said Coquitlam’s Erin Palm, who portrays Fruma-Sarah in the Royal City Musical Theatre (RCMT) production that goes into previews starting Thursday at the Massey Theatre.
Fiddler is Palm’s first appearance in a RCMT show, which is being directed and choreographed by Valerie Easton of Port Coquitlam. Easton tapped Palm for the role after working with her in the 2009 Arts Club Theatre production of The Thing About Men (ironically, Palm last auditioned for RCMT as a child for a chance to be cast in Fiddler).
Tri-City child actors Owen Scott, Arta Nehahpan and Lucas Crandall are also featured in the musical, with Warren Kimmel portraying the star Tevye.
But Palm said displacement isn’t the only theme running through Fiddler: Family also has a strong voice, especially from the female side.
Port Coquitlam’s Peter Stainton plays the rabbi in his fifth RCMT show. “It’s a fun little role,” the retired school teacher said. “He make humorous cameo appearances… as do many other characters but the rabbi is very high profile with the Jewish villagers.”
Like Palm, Stainton was also handpicked by Easton to take on the role. He was on holidays when he got the call “and when Valerie Easton phones you, it’s very flattering,” he said.
Fiddler is based on a series of stories by Sholem Aleichem, written between 1894 and 1914, called Tevye and his Daughters. It centres on the father and his attempts to keep his Jewish traditions in Imperial Russia in 1905.
The original Broadway show opened in 1964 and was the first musical theatre run in history to pass the 3,000-performance mark, winning nine Tony Awards along the way.
Stainton said RCMT’s version is full of laughter and song with such memorable numbers as Matchmaker, Matchmaker, If I Were A Rich Man and Do You Love Me?
“It’s a high level of professionalism that you rarely get anywhere else,” he said of the company. “It has a full orchestra, wonderful costumes and a wonderful cast.”
• Tickets for Fiddler on the Roof are $47/$38/$29 through ticketsnw.ca. The show runs at the Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave., New Westminster) until April 23.
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