The Northbrook Park District is presenting performances of the beloved classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof” in May.
According to a news release, the production by Northbrook Community Theatre features a cast of over 30 actors, ranging from children to older adults. The last time the theater staged a production of this scale was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is a beautiful, timely show with a rich history, and we cannot wait to share this story with the Northbrook community,” Melody DeRogatis, performing arts supervisor for the Northbrook Park District, said in the release.
Michael Pekay and his granddaughter Brielle Horwitch are among more than 30 actors performing in “Fiddler on the Roof” from May 17 through May 19 at Northbrook Theatre. (Courtesy of Laura Horwitch)
The plot centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and the five daughters he tries to protect in the face of changing customs and growing anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia, the release said.
For Michael Pekay, who plays the Rabbi, the story has a great deal of significance, according to the release. Pekay’s grandparents were born and raised in current-day Lithuania and were in an arranged marriage, just like the couple in the play.
“It means a lot because we are Jewish, and everything about the play deals with some of our heritage,” Pekay said of “Fiddler on the Roof.” “It’s a way for my granddaughter to see a little bit of the history of her family.”
His 10-year-old granddaughter, Brielle Horwitch, plays Shprintze, one of the milkman’s daughters, the release said. Brielle persuaded her grandfather to take on a role in the play alongside her, just like her older sister did 10 years ago when Pekay performed in his first play with Northbrook Community Theatre.
Brielle has been acting since age 5 through the Park District and has been cast in professional plays across the suburbs.
“I am really excited because we (my grandpa and I) are going to get to perform together,” she said. “We always practice together, usually in the living room. And we talk about it a lot.”
Even though the play centers around the experience of a Jewish family, it tackles universal themes, Pekay said.
“There is so much value in watching the play because you see the progression that there is in any religion of becoming modern and getting into the flow of history. I don’t care what your religion is… there is so much that we as human beings, and as Americans, can identify with,” he said. “And you also have (the theme of) immigrants, people who are leaving their home to come to America, and the trauma of that — which is definitely applicable in today’s society.”
Performances of “Fiddler on the Roof” will be at 7 p.m. May 17 – 18 and 2 p.m. May 19 at Northbrook Theatre, 3323 Walters Avenue, Northbrook. Tickets are $25 each. For tickets and more information, visit nbparks.org/events/fiddler-on-the-roof or call (847) 291-2993.
