Cecilia H. C. Liu, Faculty Advisor
As this year is Fu Jen's 80th Anniversary, Fiddler on the Roof is dedicated to those who have invigorated the stage and kept the tradition alive in the Fu Jen theatre.
Part of what has made Fiddler on the Roof a staple of American musical theatre for almost forty years is its ability to touch each and every person who sees it. I still remember how I was touched when I saw it the first time at Fu Jen when Ms. Donna Schaefer directed it (with Ms. Jennifer Chiu as Golde) in 1985. In large part, the timelessness of Fiddler is created through the way it explores a variety of themes. Certainly the show has, at its heart, the very real problems of an oppressed group of people. But as anyone who has seen the show knows, the play is much more than that. Fiddler's serious message about the plight of Anatevka's residents is complimented nicely with more upbeat messages on things to which we can all relate: family, love (be it romantic, familial or metaphysical), perseverance, community, and tradition.
Fiddler on the Roof takes place around 1905 in a small Ukranian village. It is an uncertain time. Unrest grips the country—unrest caused by the Pogroms (when Jews were driven en masse from their homes), rising anti-Tsarist sentiment (which would lead to the Russian revolution), and the approach of World War I. The historical realities of the time do not simply provide a colorful backdrop to this story; they are central to all that transpires. A central theme is how the old traditions are disintegrating under the pressure of a world culture that is being re-shaped by industrialization and mechanization. Don’t you find Taiwan in a very similar situation? Fiddler has always been anchored as an ethnic play, but the themes speak to all societies in social and political conflict. What society hasn’t had a conflict over the value of tradition and modernization? Or over the role of women? What minority in an autocratic land hasn’t suffered discrimination and reprisals? The value of Fiddler is that it speaks to this human condition, not to the experience of one group alone.
As with any musical, the focus never strays far from the songs, and Fiddler on the Roof contains a number of instantly recognizable numbers, from the lively and uplifting "Tradition," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "To Life" to the delightful "Matchmaker" and the sublime "Sunrise, Sunset." In all, the play contains more than a dozen songs. Now, sit back and enjoy America's most acclaimed musical at Fu-Jen!