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Above: At the inn at Anatevka, Steven
Lefkowitz, left, confers with Tevye, played
by Sidney Schechet. Both boys are 13
and live in Southfield

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Far left: Violinist Ted Schwartz plays
the famous opening theme.

.•Southfield resident Sim May the
show's co-director, fires the stage make-up
for Chasida Gross, 13, also of Southfield

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INTERNATIONAL
NEWS PLUS

372 Oullette Avenue • Windsor, Canada

DIANA LIEBERMAN
Staff Writer

T

evye the Milkman may
have had five daughters in
the Sholem Aleichem's sto-
ries, but, in an exclusive
appearance in the sanctuary of
Yeshivat Akiva, he had six.
On June 5 and 7, Akiva's eighth-
graders staged a nearly complete ver-
sion of the 1964 musical Fiddler on
the Roof using the authorized
Broadway junior script.
However, the class of the
Southfield-based school includes
nine girls, and each deserved a
speaking part, explained Phyllis
Rochen, one of the play's three co-
directors.
"So we wrote a part for a new
daughter, and they decided to give
her my Yiddish name, Pesil," Rochen

said. "I was touched."
There was another major devia-
tion from the script, she noted.
Akiva is a modern Orthodox day
school and, according to Jewish tra-
dition, women are not allowed to
sing in the presence of men. The
directors found a solution. Instead
of singing the famous Jerry Bock
melodies, which include
"Matchmaker, Matchmaker," the
girls were instructed to say the
words in a poetic fashion.
"It was like a poetry reading, with
Laura Schwartz (the show's music
director) vamping under the words,"
Rochen said.
Along with the show's other two
co-directors, Judy Kessler, and Sim
Moy, Rochen had been working with
the students every school day, plus
Sunday, since May 1.
The play's star, Sidney Schechet,

was born to play Tevye, Rochen said.
"He had people laughing hysterically."
Other highlights included the
dream scene, wedding scene, and
high-stepping Russian dance, for
which the boys were coached by par-
ent Harvey Lefkowitz.
For the June 5 evening perfor-
mance, violinist Ted Schwartz of
Farmington Hills, husband of Laura
Schwartz, played the famous opening
theme.
Both performances were packed.
Even the very youngest children sat
still, wide-eyed, through the June 7
daytime show.
"It went as smooth as silk," Moy
said. "It really was a miracle, espe-
cially considering these kids are deal-
ing with a dual curriculum.
"People left both shows saying,
`This makes me proud to be an
Akiva parent.'"

