Fiddler on the Roof

These days, we can all sympathize with Tevye, the philosophizing Jewish father at the center of Fiddler on the Roof. He longs for the pleasures that a wealthy man must enjoy — “all day long I’d biddy biddy bum, if I were a wealthy man!” he sings. He wants stability in an ever-changing world. As if that’s not enough, he has a house full of headstrong daughters. Oy vey!

The Tony Award-winning musical by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein features some of the most unforgettable music Broadway has ever created, including “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Matchmaker,” as it tells Tevye’s tale about raising daughters at the turn of the 20th century, in a world on the brink of revolution. Young people falling in love and breaking with tradition as they find their own way, older folks fighting against change, and everyone fighting against political oppression, make Fiddler on the Roofas relevant today as ever.

This is the farewell tour of Chaim Topol, the Academy- and Tony Award-nominated actor who originated the role of Tevye in London in 1967 and starred in the 1971 film based on the musical. It’s Houston’s last chance to see the stage legend in a signature role. Fiddle the night away at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through June 7. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For information, call 713-315-2500 or visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. $23 to $72.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: May 26. Continues through June 7, 2009