BWW Preview: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Spinning Tree Theatre Stars Kansas City's Finest

Spinning Tree Theatre closes its fourth season with the timeless musical classic Fiddler on the Roof. The 2014-2015 season of Spinning Tree featured several firsts for the theatrical production company. The addition of Fiddler on the Roof as the first year of four shows, the first time a Spinning Tree production was directed by someone outside the organization (Walter Coppage directing Black Pearl Sings!), and the first time the company produced a local playwright (Frank Higgins Black Pearl Sings!).

Andy Parkhurst and Michael Grayman direct and choreograph the Spinning Tree production with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, book by Joseph Stein and based on stories by Sholem Aleichem, Fiddler on the Roof is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Aleichem. Tevye, the father of five daughters, deals with three strong-willed daughters who wish to marry for love, an edict from the Tsar evicting Jews from their village, and outside influences on his religion and cultural traditions.

Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964 and surpassed 3,000 performances, making it the longest running Broadway show until the opening of Grease. The original Broadway production received ten Tony Award nominations, winning nine. A special Tony Award for becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history was bestowed on the show in 1972.

Fiddler on the Roof is filled with musical classics such as "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "Do You Love Me?" Musical director Angie Benson leads a Klezmer quartet featuring accordion, guitar/mandolin, clarinet, and violin.

Gary Neal Johnson, in the role of Tevye, headlines a cast of 23 actors, singers, and dancers. Johnson has appeared with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (KC Rep), Kansas City Actors Theatre, and the Heart of America Shakespeare among others. Julie Shaw stars as Golde, Nancy Nail as Yente, Tom Lancaster as Lazar Wolf, Megan Herrera as Chava, Kami Rodgers as Tzeitel, Seth Macchi as Fyedka, Matthew A. King as Sasha, and Rick Duplissie as Constable.

Fiddler on the Roof plays April 23 through May 10 at the Just Off Broadway Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Purchase tickets by calling Spinning Tree Theatre at 816-569-5277 or visit their website. Photo courtesy of Spinning Tree Theatre.