Mentor High School’s 2026 musical “Fiddler On the Roof” has been a large topic of discussion with the theme of the traditions and the incorporation of a classical style of music, this year’s musical is catchy, and has quite the history. 

History on Broadway

Written in the early 1960’s with music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, it opened quite successfully on Broadway in 1964, at the Imperial Theater and would surpass 3,000 performances, being the first musical in Broadway history to do so, earning it nine Tony awards, including Best Musical. The show was revived on Broadway several times enlightening generations to the magic of the musical. It was brought back from 1976-1981, 1990- 2004, and 2015-2016.

About the Musical

Fiddler on the Roof is set in 1905 czarist Russia. The story opens with the main character (Tevye a Jewish dairyman) in Anatevka doing everything in his power to keep traditions alive, even in the midst of changing times along with persecution. He argues with his three oldest daughters who reject his proposed arranged marriages, as they opt for marriages of love. After a series of diverse struggles, the whole community leaves the village. 

The Show’s Performance at Mentor High School

This year’s musical has attracted much attention, collaboration, and participation from the students of Mentor High School. The performance of the musical today is an accurate replica and representation of the original Broadway show, with the main theme of the importance of traditions, the occurrence of small town drama, which is well represented in the show.

MHS’s performance stars lead Ben Sherman as Tevye, among many other talented actors. “The Fiddler on the Roof” will be Emily Sweigart (Thursday and Friday) and Gabe Tulenson (Saturday and Sunday). You can find a link to the performance program which details more about the actors here.

Cast Perspectives

Below are some comments from a few of the many students acting in Mentor High Schools production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Cardinal Nation: What part of the musical resonates with you and why?

Bryn Crasto: The part that resonates with me most is Tevye struggling between tradition and his daughters’ choices. This is really relatable because people often have to balance their beliefs with what others want.

Elayna Gagliardi: I think the part of the musical story that resonated with me would be the scene about everybody being forced to leave their homes in the last song. I think it’s just kind of an emotional scene that I am able to be a part of.

Olivia Butterfield: I would say the aspect of ‘following tradition’ most resonates with me because my family has a lot of traditions tied to it that I feel I don’t want or need to follow.

Zoe Coughlin: The part of the story that most resonates with me is the community. The community of the town is a very important aspect of the story and I feel like it is something a lot of people can relate to.

Cardinal Nation: Did you have a lot of background knowledge on the musical before it was announced as Mentor High School’s musical? Were you surprised?

Bryn Crasto: I didn’t know a lot about the musical beforehand, just the basics. I was a little surprised when it was announced, but I was also excited to learn more about it.

Zoe Coughlin: I knew some information about “Fiddler On the Roof “before it was announced, but I had no idea of what the show was going to become!

Cardinal Nation: Did you look at the original Broadway musical for inspiration on your character/the play in general?

Bryn Crasto: I did look at some performances from the original Broadway version for inspiration, especially to better understand the characters but also to bring in my own interpretration.

Mentor High School’s Performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” Today

“Fiddler on the Roof” will be performed on stage at the Mentor High School Fine Arts Center from April 16-April 19. The students have worked hard during weeks of long impressive rehearsals. During each rehearsal all of the students work together on blocking, choreography, acting and singing, with some of scenes proposing challenges, the cast was able to overcome all of them, to create a musical that will be impressive and entertaining. The cast has also done an excellent job of representing their characters. Some cast members shared that they looked over Broadway performances, while others read the script and found out what it meant to them to find out how to best present their characters. Overall, the students of Mentor High school have spent much time and effort into making an inspiring and entertaining musical for the students and community, by portraying the musical accurately and representing the main themes. The show is very impressive and is sure to be a great performance by the cast members, and everyone is encouraged to go.

Note from the Editor-in-Chief: The play was fantastic Thursday night and is definitely worth attending. When I met with Ben after the performance, he was so in character he couldn’t force himself to stand up (Tevye often stands hunched), indicating the performer’s absolute dedication to their roles. I was also amazed at the talent of our singers at the high school, including, notably, Andrew Gaiters, Noni Arndt, and Reagan Simon. Even Ben got in on the singing quite a bit, which he was also very good at! Please go support the students and enjoy yourself at a future performance!