Students of La Martiniere in a scene from Fiddler on the Roof

Students of La Martiniere took a full house at Kala Mandir back to Tsarist Russia with their presentation of Joseph Stein’s evergreen musical, Fiddler on the Roof.

Staged on four consecutive nights beginning Monday, it was the combined effort of over 100 students of classes IX to XII, who practised for more than two months under the guidance of Katy Lai Roy. The plot is based on the life of Tevye, a Jewish milkman from Anatevka (a hamlet in rural Russia), his wife Golde and their five daughters.

The musical takes a humour-laced look at life, especially its central protagonist’s struggle to accept change and the fact that three of his daughters — Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava — chose their husbands in defiance of Jewish customs.

Occasionally histrionic in his gestures, Sujoy Chakravarthi, who played Tevye, was much appreciated for his performance. For Anna Alexander, who played Hodel, the experience of doing a musical was challenging and exciting. “I had never sung on stage before,” she said.

The wooden huts and clustered cottages on stage gave a rural touch to the backdrop while the costumes of the actors appropriately bore the rustic stamp.

Congratulating the students on their performance, Sunirmal Chakravarthi, the principal of La Martiniere for Boys, said: “Books teach a lot to students, but one cannot deny that they learn a great deal more about life and inter-personal relationships through theatre.”

Drawing a parallel between the story of Fiddler on the Roof and real life, Hilda Peacock, the principal of La Martiniere for Girls, said: “The discrimination, marginalisation and mental conflict suffered by the characters are very relevant in today’s world.” The director was all smiles at the end of the first day’s show. “I have been working on this play for months and it has paid off,” Roy said.

The two-hour performance impressed most in the audience. “I felt the acting could have been a little better, but the story was indeed captivating,” said Arnab Ghosh, a student.

“The actors deserve a pat on their backs for their brilliant coordination,” said Suryanu Gupta, a teacher in another school.