North’s spring musical, Fiddler on the Roof, debuts Friday, March 18 with shows the following Saturday and Sunday, offering a story of heartbreak, hope, and tradition.

Fiddler on the Roof is the story of Tevye, his family, and villagers of Anatevka in 1905 Czarist Russia who must face continual challenges to their traditional way of life.  As Tevye confronts a younger generation wishing and willing to break with tradition, the boots of Russian imperialism march closer and closer to Anatevka.

“The show takes place mainly in the Village of Anateyka, with some scenes in the farm house,” said Lori Kraus, Assistant Director.

Senior Julian Raab plays the main role, Tevye. Tevye is the father to five daughters, Tzeitel (Junior Bri Golden), Hodel (Junior Michaela Wolski), Chava (Senior Maya Patel), Sphrintze (Sophmore Taylor Austin), and Bielke (Junior Becca Hebron).

“The cast this year is the largest we’ve ever had with 62 cast members, 23 being men,” said Kraus.

The show takes place in a farm setting. The set is constructed with pieces from an old barn.

“They did many neat things with the set, they actually took a barn and reclaimed all the wood,” said Kraus. “Not only did they have to go out and get all the wood from the barn site, they had to clean it up and remove all the nails.”

The costumes for this show were different from past shows in that they had to be simplistic. The family is not very wealthy so many of the costumes are beat up, and the final scene takes place in wintertime where many heavy coats were necessary.

“The difficult part for the show was finding aprons,” said Kraus. “I knew that the costume company did not have any, so we have decided to make them.”

For those interested in singing along with such memorable songs as “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset” performances will be at 7:30 p.m. March 18 and 19, 2016; and at 2:30 p.m. April 20, 2016.