'Fiddler on the Roof' opens Thursday

"We were supposed to do 'Fiddler' in 2020 when COVID hit, so it has kind of been in the back of my mind since then," Spring Musical Director Naomi Durrant said. "It's a classic, and I think it's appropriate for our time."

The original "Fiddler on the Roof" musical, about a Jewish family living in Imperial Russia, first appeared at Broadway's Imperial Theater in 1964. The show ran for 3,242 productions due to its popularity. Now on Thursday, April 27 and Friday, April 28, at 7 p.m., the musical will hit the stage at Worland Middle School Auditorium.

"It's 'Fiddler on the Roof!'" Durrant exclaimed. "The Jewish faith, the people, they get chased out of everything, that's just their story. There's a lot of heart, and there's bits and pieces of comedy we hope to bring out."

For the first time in the near decade since Durrant started working with the Spring Musical, the show will be accompanied by a live pit band, headed by Pit Director Frank Harding and aided by Music Director Connor Dennis. Worland High School students Jacob Durrant and Ellianna Baumstarck will play the leading roles of Teyve and Golde, respectively, joined by their peers.

Durrant said she hopes the cast will get satisfaction out of the hours they have put into their performance. "I think that the arts are extremely important, these kids work their heinies off for six or seven weeks, and it's not just at rehearsal ... Just the amount of work, and support for the arts, is important."

Tickets will be on sale at the door.

"We've had great turnouts for all of the musicals that I've been involved with for the last eight to 10 years ... so I'm anticipating, hoping, for the same, a good turnout," Durrant said.

"It's a great time to go and be entertained for a few hours, and maybe a minute to think about how the state of the world and what's going on today, is not very different from 1905 Russia."