Guests at a local Jewish temple were transported back to the beginning of the 20th century as they watched the recent wedding of Tzeitel and Motel under the chuppah.

Through song and drama, the cast of Lyric Theatre's “Fiddler on the Roof” brought Old World tradition to the

modern-day chapel at Temple B'nai Israel, 4901 N Pennsylvania.

The director and cast of the popular musical partnered with the temple and the Jewish Federation of Oklahoma City to provide an immersive experience offering fun and education for attendees.

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The cast's version of the melody “Sunrise, Sunset” delighted about 200 guests who watched as the chuppah, a traditional Jewish wedding canopy, was raised over the heads of the bride and groom as the wedding scene from “Fiddler” came to life.

"Where is the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don't remember growing older. When did they?" sang Adam Heller, who portrays the musical's main character, Tevye.

Rabbi Vered Harris, the temple's spiritual leader, said she was thrilled when Michael Baron, producing artistic director of Lyric Theatre, called her with the idea for the community event. She said the gathering was the result of a partnership between Lyric, the temple and the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City.

Lyric will perform the musical Tuesday through July 30 at Civic Center Music Hall.

Enduring story

The musical chronicles the life of Tevye, a Jewish milkman living with his family in a little Russian village called Anatevka in 1905. Jewish marriage and wedding customs are featured prominently, because Tevye, with the help of a Yente, or matchmaker, must attempt to find suitable husbands for his daughters.

As the play begins, Tevye tells of the customs of Anatevka. It is 1905, and life is as precarious as a fiddler on the roof, yet, through their traditions, the villagers endure.

"Every Jewish person I know knows the lyrics to at least half, if not all, the songs to 'Fiddler on the Roof.' I knew immediately this was something the Jewish community would love to be a part of it," Harris said.

"There's so much negativity in the world. This is really to do something that is about tradition, fun and change."

Baron, who is Jewish, said he is friends with the rabbi and thought she might be interested in a fun and informal gathering that would be informative for the "Fiddler" cast while bringing the perennial musical favorite to the temple.

"I think it's really important to be in the place where the ritual really happened," he said of the wedding scene.

In addition to the wedding scene and the song "Sunrise Sunset," the cast performed "Matchmaker" and "Sabbath Prayer." The group sang "To Life" as people ate their meal during a potluck gathering in the temple's fellowship hall.

"It's joyful. It's very funny, but ultimately, it's hopeful, because the community will live on even though it's not in the same town."

Cora Grace Winstead, of Oklahoma City, portrays Tevye's oldest daughter Tzeitel, the one marrying her childhood friend Motel in the wedding scene.

She said she is not Jewish, so Monday's performance marked her first time visiting a Jewish temple.

"I'm taking it all in," Winstead said. "This is a very beautiful story, and to be able to bring it to a place where this story is regularly loved is very nice."

Wedding wonders

Before breaking for dinner, Baron and Rabbi Harris gave guests an opportunity to ask questions about Jewish wedding customs or anything else associated with "Fiddler" and the Judaism associated with it.

One guest said he wanted people to know more about the tradition of stomping on glass at Jewish weddings. This stomping was acted out in the "Fiddler" scene of the wedding of Tzeitel and Motel.

Harris said there are several stories behind that tradition.

One explanation is that crushing drinking glasses or lightbulbs at the end of the Jewish wedding ceremony is a way to symbolically remind people that "even in the times of our greatest joy, we remember the times of destruction," a reference to the Destruction of the Temple as chronicled in the Torah and the Bible, she said.

Harris said another explanation is that breaking glass is a reminder to the bride and groom that marriage is fragile, and they should not ever harm the relationship or "stomp" on it in such a way that it can't be pieced together again.

The rabbi said her favorite explanation of the custom is that people at weddings are joyous or more carefree and thus more vulnerable to evil forces or demons. Crushing glass is a way to "stomp them out" when they attempt to creep into unsuspecting souls.

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