'Fiddler on the Roof' to Open Thursday at West Bloomfield High School

For senior students, the spring musical represents one of the final benchmarks prior to graduation and moving on into a world of new traditions at colleges and universities. The cast and crew of Fiddler on the Roof hope to be able to encapsulate that feeling when the three-day run opens Thursday.

“My friends and I in drama have managed to stay together since freshman year, which is kind of amazing, given all the hard parts of any show,” said Rachel Brett, 17, of West Bloomfield, who plays Tzeitel in Fiddler. “We’re sad to be leaving each other when this is over, but I’m glad that this is our last show … it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

According to WBHS theater arts program director Micah Greene, the musical’s story and themes should resonate with the community, especially the notion of how communities respond to change and the traditions that maintain community ties.

“(Fiddler) intimately speaks to how much we’ve been through, not only how much of how population has changed in the community, but also our school,” Greene said. “At the same time, it speaks to the sense of what remains in the core of West Bloomfield High School — one of those things is great student acting.”

Brett explained that the story of Fiddler, set in Czarist Russia in 1905, centers on Tevye, a Jewish milkman and the father of five daughters, who attempts to maintain his familial and religious traditions while outside influences, including love and politics, encroach upon their lives.

The cast and crew of more than 60, who have been rehearsing since February, have learned to appreciate what is often thought of as a classic of the Jewish culture canon, despite some initial concerns, Brett said.

“The cast felt like we had seen Fiddler before when we were younger and that we couldn’t really relate to it. We didn’t really appreciate the value of the traditions,” said Brett, who hopes to study next fall at the University of Michigan or Michigan State University. “It became a lot more exciting for me when I got the part of Tzeitel — I encourage other characters to break traditions, but it teaches us a lot about what’s important, at the same time.”

Greene said the cast and crew have intimately discussed the role of traditions apart from Fiddler, in addition to learning more about what the characters may have been going through in that historical setting.

“Essentially, I found myself trying to relate to them on how things have changed over the years,” Greene said. “There’s not as many surprises as I might have anticipated. We come from different backgrounds, but we value the same family ties, religious ties, cultural and ethics ties.”

Senior Christopher Brody, 18, of West Bloomfield stars as Tevye in what will be his final performance at WBHS after a career including the starring role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables during his junior year. Brody said Fiddler has taught him unique lessons that he hopes to be able to take with him next fall to Oakland University, where he intends to study music.

“In the show, my daughters are all running off, marrying Russians and Bolsheviks, and I’m trying to decide if I can live with this. Of course, I have to,” Brody said. “Essentially, it’s taught me that there’s no book of rules in life. You just have to go with the flow, and that’s the theme of the show.”

Brett compared the story of Fiddler to her years at WBHS as the curtains close on her high school career. “We’ve come in together, we’ll go out together,” she said of the cast of the show. “It’s like the show. It teaches everyone a lesson.”

The West Bloomfield High School Drama Department will present “Fiddler on the Roof” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and at 8 p.m. April 29-30. Tickets cost $12 each and will be available online through Sunday. They will also be sold at the door. For more information, visit wbhstheatre.com or call 248-865-6720.