High school musicals are for a select crowd of people. They are attened by school mates who enjoy showing their school pride by attending everything the school puts on or who actually have an appriciation for theater. And family who come to see their relative on stage. Watch with tearful eyes straining to catch a glimpse of the loved one. After the show they rush to their child and thrust a bouquet of flowers into the dazed youth's arms and embrace them while snapping all kinds of pictures with a hastily bought single use camera. Generally speaking high school musicals are not something your average joe will appriciate if he or she just wanders off the street. The last group of people who attend high school musicals are people, like me, who graduated from the school and so still feel the nostalgic ties to the place and people.

The school I graduated from, Lancaster Mennonite School (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Highschool) in Lancaster, PA is putting on the production "Fiddler on the Roof". It runs this weekend, April 24-26 with two showings on Saturday.

In the past LMH productions have been average. Either the acting was good but it lacked spirit (The Sound of Music), or the time and effort was there but the script was shakey (Children of Eden). However, "Fiddler on the Roof" scores on every account.

The set was elegant. The stationary buildings were strong enough for the appearances by The Fiddler to stand on and move while still playing the violin. The changing set was effective but easy to change. The set designer put a lot of time into getting everything right.

The casting was amazingly strong. I would have a hard time thinking of a hollywood movie with a cast where the actors fit into their rolls so well. The main actors were relaxed and confident. Nothing felt forced. The story, which is about a traditional Jewish community that starts facing changes, felt believable even being acted by Christians. One of the great parts of the production which helped it feel real was the enthusiastic energy behind it. Just about every kid on that stage was happy to be up there. The strongest casting was done for The Fiddler, The Rabbi, and the main father (who's name has escaped me).