The good people at Encore Michigan report Dexter is a very special place. Nestled between Ann Arbor and Chelsea, the community of Dexter is home to the Encore Musical Theatre Company.
Their current production is “Fiddler on the Roof.” The musical drama about a Jewish family and their community in czarist Russia stars Stephen West, world-famous opera star and a U-M professor, as Tevye; Marlene Inman-Reilly as Golde; and Judy Dery as Yente.
Performances are most Thursdays through Sundays, through Aug. 12. Tickets for all performances are available at the box office and by phone: (734) 268-6200. Click here for tickets and details.
‘Fiddler’ plays at The Encore
DEXTER – “Fiddler on the Roof” dances into Dexter July 12. Led by director and choreographer Barbara Cullen and music director Cheryl Van Duzen, and starring Stephen West (University of Michigan voice professor, and acclaimed opera star), this is a show you do not want to miss.
“Fiddler on the Roof” is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Russia in 1905. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters — each one’s choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith — and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village. The show features some of musical theater’s most famous songs, including “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Tradition,” “Matchmaker” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”
The original Broadway production opened in 1964 and had the first musical to surpass 3,000 performances. “Fiddler” held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years, and it remains Broadway’s 15th longest-running show in history. The production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning nine, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international popularity.
The cast of local Equity and Non-Equity actors includes Stephen West as Tevye, Marlene Inman-Reilly as Golde, and Judy Dery as Yente.
The Encore Musical Theatre Company is located at 3126 Broad Street, Dexter, MI, 48130