Moorestown Pair Featured in 'Fiddler on the Roof'

Dana Hecht Kares and Carrie Wagner, both of Moorestown, aren't mother and daughter in real life, but they are currently playing the part in Fiddler on the Roof at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman.

Fiddler is a wonderfully rich family musical filled with memorable songs and music, set in the Jewish village of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905.

Kares plays Golde, the family matriarch, who is married to Tevye ("If I Were A Rich Man," "Tradition"). They are the parents of five spirited daughters and are trying to keep age-old Jewish traditions alive in a changing world. Golde wishes for her daughters to make good matches and have easier lives than she ("Sabbath Prayer," "Do You Love Me?") and Tevye.

Carrie Wagner, a sophomore at , is Hodel, the middle daughter ("Matchmaker, Matchmaker"), who falls in love with the radical young student, Perchik. She eventually leaves Anatevka to follow him to Siberia, where he has been imprisoned for working for the revolution. In a poignant scene, Hodel sings to her father about why she has to go away and be with the man she loves ("Far From the Home I Love").

Fiddler on the Roof is playing at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, 43 S. Broadway, through Aug. 5, with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, with a special engagement at 7 p.m. on July 29.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at thebroadwaytheatre.org, by calling 856-384-8381, or at the theater box office.

- Courtesy of Cheryl Wagner