In one of the most delightful and poignant musicals of all time, Sutton teens Madelyn Newton and Andrew Smith featured in the Hanover Theatre full scale production of Fiddler on the Roof on July 28 and 29 in Worcester. Quinn Stone, also of Sutton, performed in the play in its Aug. 18 and 19 shows. Millbury resident Joseph Fortunato IV also played in the Fiddler on the Roof JR. version that was staged Aug. 12. 

The older teens participated in the production as part of the Youth Summer Program (YSP) at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

Newton and Smith performed in the musical as part of their participation in the Youth Summer Program for teens entering grades 9 through college freshmen in fall 2023.

The program, now in its 15th year, is designed for students seeking a pre-professional experience. Teens are admitted to the program after submitting an audition video. Participants attend daily morning classes focusing on music, drama, and dance as well as afternoon rehearsals for a final production. Students are cast in and present three performances of a full-scale Broadway musical at the end of each session on The Hanover Theatre’s main stage.

This year’s production was Fiddler on the Roof. Madelyn Newton played the hat maker Yussel, a and Andrew Smith played one of the Russian peasants in this story set in the little village of Anatevka. Quinn Stone was Sasha, a Russian soldier and Joseph Fortunato was Perchik, a love interest of Tevye’s daughter, Hodel.

The music centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.

The award-winning tale of Tevye the Dairyman and his family’s struggles in a changing Russia is a true musical theatre tradition.

Winner of nine Tony® Awards when it debuted in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof is the brainchild of Broadway legends Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince, songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, and bookwriter Joseph Stein. Touching audiences worldwide with its humor, warmth and honesty, this universal show is a staple of the musical theatre canon.

Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, Fiddler on the Roof‘s universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness.

With iconic and beloved songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” Fiddler on the Roof is the perfect mix of audience-pleasing humor and heart.