About the work
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical by Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics), and Joseph Stein (book), premiered on Broadway in 1964. Based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem, it won nine Tony Awards. With its long run it was one of the most successful musicals of its time.
Plot
In the Jewish shtetl of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905, the pious dairyman Tevye tries to hold together his family and centuries-old traditions. But his five daughters call the inherited order into question: one after another chooses love over the marriage arranged by the matchmaker—even marriage outside the faith. As Tevye wrestles with himself and God, political reality catches up with the village: a pogrom and expulsion force the Jewish community to leave their home forever.
Cultural significance
Fiddler on the Roof combines warm-hearted humour with the moving depiction of a vanishing world and the universal tension between tradition and change. Songs such as If I Were a Rich Man and Sunrise, Sunset became world-famous. The work is among the most frequently performed musicals of all time and, with its story of home, faith, and displacement, still touches an international audience today.