Ellington

Look out: Here come the kids. New Stage Theatre is presenting "Fiddler on the Roof Jr." March 30 through April 3. Fiddler, directed by Kate Roselle, consists of a 34-member cast raging in age from 7 to 17. "About half of the cast is experienced actors. We have quite a few who haven't acted before. They work well together, and it gives the people with experience an opportunity to lead," Roselle said.

The play is about a dairyman, Tevye, who "tries to teach the traditions of the Jewish community to his five daughters, but this is difficult because his daughters are growing up in a time where the public faces the changing social mores and growing anti-Semitism of Tsarist Russia," according to the theater's Web site. "It's a play about changing social times," Roselle said. "It's important for my generation and this generation."

Roselle said the music, which makes up about half of the play, is "not big glitzy show tunes. The music is haunting and really beautiful, and the songs are more ballad-like."

The play has been shortened to an hour and 15 minutes in order to keep children's attention and also omits the language and violence that is in the original "Fiddler on the Roof."

The Jr. version, Roselle said, is less oppressive than the full version, and it tries to hit all of the main themes of the original play, while still keeping it interesting for children.

Despite the somber tone of the play, Roselle said there is still a lot of humor in the production. "The play is about family—parents and children. During rehearsals, the children were bringing out humor from the script I didn't even know was there," she said.