LAMP - Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions

Fiddler on the Roof is set in 1905 in Tsarist Russia.  In the Prologue, we meet Tevye a poor yet hardworking father in the Jewish village of Anatevka.  He explains the role of God's law in providing balance in the villagers' lives. He describes the inner circle of the community and the larger circle which includes the constable, the priest, and countless other authority figures. He explains, "We don't bother them and so far, they don't bother us." He ends by insisting that without their traditions, he and the other villagers would find their lives "as shaky as a fiddler on the roof."

The story revolves around Tevye and his  daughters, all of whom must be marrried soon.  The local matchmaker, Yente, arranges 'suitable' matches however the girls have ideas of their own.  Each daughter's relationships cause Tevye to struggle between his faith and the traditions of the community and with the love he has for his family.  He 'tricks' his wife into letting his oldest daughter Tzeitel marry her childhood sweetheart Motel for love rather than convenience. His middle daughter, Hodel, falls for the idealistic young scholar Perchik who tries to explain modern thinking to the villagers.  When Perchik is arrested, Hodel follows him, with her father's blessing, to Siberia.  Tevye cannot accept the relationship of his youngest daughter Chava who falls in love with a young Russian soldier, Fyedka.  When he discovers that they have been married in secret by a priest, he tells his wife that Chava is dead to them.

The show ends with the villagers being forced to leave the their homes by the Russians.

The musical was made most famous by a film version starring Topol as 'Tevye'.  It features well known songs such as "If I were a rich man", "Matchmaker", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Tradition".

LAMP cast 2005

• Tevye...   Bob Clark
• Golde...   Sheila Rodgers
• Tzeitel...   Susan McFarlane
• Hodel...   Alison Thomson
• Chava...   Pamela Scott
• Shprintze...   Caitlin Phillips
• Bielke...   Christine Copland
• Yente...   Carol Fraser
• Motel...   David Mearns
• Perchik...   Keith Gibson
• Lazar Wolf...   Eric Brown
• Rabbi...   Jim Porter
• Grandma Tzeitel...   Julie Reid
• Fruma Sarah...   Fiona Deighton
• The Fiddler...   Malcolm McNulty

• PRODUCER...   BILL ROBERTSON
• MUSICAL DIRECTOR...   EDDIE MACLENNAN
• CHOREOGRAPHER...   LESLEY SCOTT