If I were a rich man

As a cautionary tale about the overwhelming ties of domestic life, the conflict between love and family loyalty and the creaking tensions of religion and nationalism, The Fiddler on the Roof does not immediately sound like a barrel of laughs.

Set in Tsarist Russia at the turn of the 20th century, it is based on a story by the humorist Sholem Aleichem called Tevye and his Daughters, originally written in Yiddish and published in 1894.

The action centres on Tevye. He is a father-of-five who is desperately trying to keep his family together as a tide of outside influences encroach upon their lives.

In the face of Tsarist anti-Semitism and continuing change, he tries to cope with the actions of his daughters as each treads a path which moves progressively away from established customs.

The musical’s title comes from a painting by Marc Chagall, whose surreal depictions of East European Jewish life often included a fiddler.

The fiddler is a metaphor for survival in a life of uncertainty and imbalance. And indeed, his presence in the title is apt for a play in which so many universal themes are explored and articulated.

The story might be more than 100 years old, but, according to Maidenhead Operatic Society member Rosemary Roberts, the themes brought to life in this production are no less salient by virtue of the age in which they were written.

And she said the audience can expect to have some laughs as well. “There’s a fair amount of comedy in it,” she explained. And it’s certainly not too serious or depressing. There’s a lot of humour, particularly between Tevye and his wife.

“He sees himself in charge of the family but his wife sees herself in charge of the family. There are lots of funny scenes between them.”

She added: “The appeal is in the humour as well as the music. It’s a story people can relate to. We've all been teenagers, we all know how it feels so we can relate from that point of view.
“But the humour and the songs are what make it such a fantastic show.”

Performances will run at The Desborough Suite, Maidenhead Town Hall, from May 13-17. Details on 01628 671589.