By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
“Fiddler on the Roof,” which runs through October 25 at the Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, candlelighttheatredelaware.org), is an all-time musical theater classic.It takes a look at Jewish history and has an amazing amount of history on its own.
The musical, which is based on Sholom Aleichem’s short story “Tevye’s Daughters,” is set in 1905 in Anatevka, a small Ukrainian Jewish village in Russia.
It tells the story of Tevye, his wife Golde and three of their daughters — Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava.
It is about Tevye, a poor milkman, and his struggle to preserve family values and traditions in a world where persecution and poverty have taken over.
It tells the story of Tevye’s attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions during challenging times.
His three older daughters are headstrong and willing to challenge tradition with their choices of husbands — Tzeitel with a poor young man from the village, Hodel with an idealistic freedom fighter and Chava with a Russian soldier.
The story unfolds around Tevye, a Jew living in the quaint village of Anatevka during the oppressive reign of Tsarist Russia.
Throughout the show, Tevye engages in heartfelt conversations with the audience and the heavens, sharing his thoughts and struggles.
Despite his relentless labor, Tevye remains impoverished, much like the rest of the Jewish community in Anatevka, and he grapples with the daunting task of providing dowries for his five daughters.
Life in Anatevka is marked by adversity, and Tevye articulates not only the stark realities of poverty but also the pervasive dread the Jewish population experiences under the watchful eye of their non-Jewish neighbors.
He eloquently conveys that Jewish existence in Russia is as fragile as a “fiddler on a roof” — striving to maintain a sweet melody while delicately balancing the threat of disaster.
The fiddler serves as a poignant symbol throughout the film, epitomizing the constant fears and dangers facing the Jewish community.
The show at Candlelight features Jason Lindner in the pivotal role of Tevye.
The veteran actor, who is Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at Temple University’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts, nails it with his intense emotive performance as the beleaguered Tevye.
Lindner is no stranger to “Fiddler on the Roof” and no stranger to the role of Tevye.
“I’ve seen ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ a lot of times,” said Lindner, during a phone interview Tuesday from his home in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
“I was in ‘Fiddler’ when I was 17. It was a State of Illinois show that I auditioned for. It was an all-star cast, and I was picked for the role of Tevye.
“I got to perform in front of 2,000 people at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center. It was right then that I realized I wanted to do theater for the rest of my life.”
Lindner, who has a BFA in Theater Performance from the University of Michigan (and knows the importance of the Wolverines beating Ohio State University in football), has performed in theaters around the country.
He is an award-winning actor and internationally produced playwright with works performed in the U.K. in London and Edinburgh as well as across the U.S. at venues like The Public Theater, SoHo Rep, LaMama, HERE and Steep Theater.
At the same time, he has been a freelance content writer and journalist with work for Disney and Fox TV, as well as publications for Huffpo, Esquire.com, New York Magazine, and many other media sources.
“My first show at Candlelight was ‘Ragtime’ last September,” said Lindner, who has an MFA from Yale School of Drama in Playwriting.
“I work at Temple University. Peter Reynolds from Temple’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts Theater directed ‘Ragtime’ at Candlelight and he suggested I audition. I played the role of Tateh.”
Tevye is a role with much more intensity – especially considering the environment.
The year 1905 was marked by the Russian Revolution of 1905, a wave of strikes, peasant revolts, and military mutinies against Tsar Nicholas II’s autocratic rule.
While the revolution was aimed at the monarchy, anti‑Jewish violence surged. The Tsarist government and pro‑monarchist “Black Hundreds” used anti‑Jewish propaganda to divert public anger from imperial problems.
Between 1903 and 1906, at least six major pogroms occurred in cities such as Kishinev, Odessa, and Minsk. In these attacks, Jews were accused of inciting unrest, and many were killed, injured, or driven from their homes.
While many in the audience at Candlelight can sense what was taking place in Russia from the show’s setting and dialogue, Lindner has more. He has a direct link to the era, the location and the plight of Russian Jews.
“My family is Jewish and they came over after the war,” said Lindner, who has an MS from Temple’s Fox School of Business in Digital Innovation in Marketing (’22). “I feel very connected.
“My great grandparents were in Poland and Hungary – and Russia during the war. My great grandmother Tauba lived in a shtetl and my great grandfather paid a matchmaker in order to marry her.
“My grandparents were Runia and Pinchas. My father Boruch was born in a displaced camp in Austria and my mother Chaya was born in Italy.
“They came over to the United States in the fifties, and I grew up with stories of all the harrowing tales.
“Now, I have two sons – Malcolm and Henry – and a rescue dog named Pixie.
“My sons are in middle school and are active in theater. The play that they’re doing now is ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’
“Having kids brings more resonance to this show. It’s all about family and tradition. It’s so resonant with everybody.”
Lindner is more than pleased to be reunited with “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“I haven’t done it since that show in Illinois 32 years ago,” said Lindner. “It’s always been a dream. I do love it and feel it inside me.”
Lindner is also more than pleased to be reunited with Candlelight.
“The Candlelight Theater has a lovely vibe,” said Lindner. “It feels very much like a family.
“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is as close to a perfect musical as can be. The musical is beautiful. Playing Tevye is a lot. It’s a hefty part – very physical and very emotional.
“Audiences love ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ The story resonates with them. It’s an emotional experience. I hope they connect with the story. Everyone can connect with family.”
“Fiddler on the Roof” ran for a record-setting total of 3,242 performances and was the first musical theater run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.
In 1965, “Fiddler on the Roof” captured nine Tony Awards and was the winner of the 1965 New York Drama Critic Award for Best Musical.
Previously, Candlelight presented “Fiddler on the Roof” in 2014.
The current production features Bob Kelly as Director, Jody Anderson as Choreographer, Betsy Jane Conner as Music Director and Anthony Connell as Props master.
L’Chaim (לְחַיִּים)!
Tickets, which include a full meal and beverages, are $83 for adults and $38.50 for children (4-12).
An unusual music coincidence is taking place this week.
Two music acts from Rhode Island that have been around a long time (two-and-a-half decades for one and more than 60 years for the other) are making their debut at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, www.st94.com) in a three-day period.
Greg Piccolo, a blues/roots vocalist and sax player from Westerly, Rhode Island, played the Sellersville Theater for the first time ever on September 30. He has been performing for more than six decades with House of Blues and his band Heavy Juice.
On October 2, Badfish, a Sublime tribute band that had its start at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, will headline a show at the Sellersville Theater on October 2 with its “Acoustic Tour Fall 2026.”
Badfish, which has spent 25 years performing the music of Sublime, is celebrating its silver anniversary with the release of its first original album, “Watch Your Mouth.”
Badfish is a tightly knit quartet featuring Patrick Downes on guitar and lead vocals, Mario “Beans” Sepulveda on bass, Ziggy Coffey on drums and DanET on keyboards, trumpet and guitar.
“Danny and I do a lot of the writing on the original tracks,” said Downes, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in Maui, Hawaii. “He’s my musical other half.”
The current line-up has been together for several years after the “departure” of Scott Begin and Joel Hanks.
“Scott, our old drummer, is now our manager,” said Downes. “Pat, our old bass player, is now our booking agent.
“Joel and Scott went to school together at the University of Rhode Island. I met them at a show. We did a few gigs here and there that did well.
“When our band started, Bradley from Sublime had passed away and there was still a big fan appetite for that band’s music – but it wasn’t being brought to audiences.”
Sublime is an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California that was founded in 1988.
Bradley Nowell, who handled lead vocals, guitar, percussion, congas, drum programming, bass, synthesizer and sampler for Sublime, died of a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 at a motel in San Francisco.
“When we played Sublime’s music, it was us playing songs we love for people who loved those songs,” said Downes. “Originally, they came because they loved Sublime. Being a tribute band to Sublime was the start of Badfish.”
A lot of current music fans are too young to have seen Sublime perform. This is not a surprise considering the band has been gone for more than two decades.
Sublime may be gone but the music of the ska punk band from Southern California lives on.
When a trio loses its guitarist/vocalist/primary songwriter, it usually spells the end of the band. Such was the case with Sublime when the trio’s main man Brad Nowell died in 1996.
The music of Sublime lives on through Badfish – A Tribute to Sublime. In addition to being the best Sublime tribute band, it is one of the premier tribute acts in America.
There are many, many Sublime fans who wish they were concertgoers during the SoCal band’s eight-year run from 1988-1996. Fortunately for them and for longtime Sublime fans, there is Badfish.
Badfish covers virtually the entire catalog of songs from Sublime’s three albums – 1992’s “40oz. to Freedom,” 1994’s “Robbin’ the Hood” and 1996’s “Sublime.”
“We’ve pretty much learned all the tracks from all three albums,” said Begin, during a previous phone interview from his home in South Kingston, Rhode Island.
“The middle album – ‘Robbin’ the Hood’ – has some instrumental tracks that we might not do exactly as they were recorded but the rest is all pretty true.
“With ‘40oz.’ and the self-titled album, we know them front-to-back. We’ve even performed them in their entirety from start to finish.”
Badfish has always been a Sublime tribute band. It took its name from the title of a song appearing on the album “40oz. to Freedom.”
“The band started in 2001 at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston,” said Begin. “I met Joel there.
“We started the band as college students looking to do something on weekends. When we first started, we were jamming on reggae and punk tunes.
“We decided right away to be a Sublime tribute band. We booked a show two weeks out and rehearsed every day. Our first show was April 13, 2001, at Ocean Mist in South Kingston. We still play there.
“After a while, we started taking it seriously. It evolved into a full-time touring band. Joel and I both were computer science majors at URI. We graduated in 2002 and 2003/2004 was when we really started to get serious. It was a lot of risk, but we knew it was worth it.”
Now, more than two decades later, Badfish is still going strong. Over the years, Badfish have conquered all the challenges and that has allowed the music of Sublime to live on.
“We’re playing the music of Sublime, and they had three major releases,” said Begin. “So, we don’t have a large set list.”
Badfish does have some recorded material that it will be releasing in the new year – recordings of original songs.
According to Begin, “Putting out original music alongside being a tribute band has always been a point of interest to us. It’s been a tricky path to walk, though.
“Yet as the years have gone by and we’ve gotten to witness our little show turn into somewhat of a movement within the scene. We are at the point where we feel we have something of real heart and value to add not only to our show but to the American reggae scene.”
During the lockdown, Badfish did some livestream shows featuring Sublime songs and, at the same time, began looking in a different direction.
“We started toying with the idea of doing our own music,” said Begin. “Original music – the idea that we were coming out with our music – what was being presented by certain guys in the band. We started and stopped with originals over the years.
“Once we turned the corner, it started moving. The summer of 2022 was when it really got moving. Just as Sublime owed a debt to reggae bands, our new material is rooted in reggae.”
Badfish released the first “original” single – “High With You” – in December 2023.
“F You Pay Me was next in September 2024 followed by “Surf Party Lord” in June 2025, “Bad Things” in October 2025 and two releases in 2026 — “Topanga” and “Son Of A Gun.”
“We did ‘High With You’ with Little Stranger and ‘F You Pay Me’ with Grieves,” said Downes.
“‘Surf Party Lord’ was recorded with Mihali and ‘Bad Things’ featured DJ Hoppa. ‘Topanga’ was cut with SunDub in Brooklyn. ‘Son Of A Gun’ comes out this Friday.
“We wrote some songs around the early 2010s,” said Downes. “Now, we’re such refined musicians. We put on a really good show. We put out a few singles over the last two-and-a-half years.
“Over the last six months, were really dug in. We were in Rhode Island and we hashed things out.
“We wrote the majority of the album in Providence. It’s our home state and we have some good juju there.
“Ziggy lives in a studio in a mill in Providence. The studio is on the first floor and he lives upstairs. He’s a skateboarder so he has a skate park in the back yard.
“I like that we spent the bulk of the album locked up together. We really got to sit and jam. All the tracking was us live. Then, we went in with our overdubs.
“We play so many live shows – more than 100 a year – so our telepathy is really great.”
Video link for Badfish – https://youtu.be/fvPw1UwsaQU?si=nYLK8QDffaHMbSzI.
The show at the Sellersville Theater on October 2 will start at 8 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $29.
Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Loudon Wainwright III on October 1, Southern Culture on the Skids on October 3, Boogie Wonder Band on October 4, Yonder Mountain String Band on October 6 and The Groove Merchants and The Hip Snacks on October 7.
Now through October 18, People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, www.peopleslight.org) is presenting “Top Dog/Underdog.”
The play is billed as “A darkly comic fable of brotherly love.”
A Pulitzer Prize winner from celebrated playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, “Top Dog/Underdog” tells the story of siblings Lincoln and Booth, whose names, given to them as a joke, foretell a lifetime of deep-seated rivalry and resentment.
Haunted by their own past and the weight of their namesakes, the two men must confront their future in a story that takes a searing look at manhood and family identity.
Company Artist Akeem Davis stars in this production, helmed by acclaimed Philadelphia director Amina Robinson. “Topdog/Underdog” is co-produced with Arden Theatre Company.
Ticket prices start at $58.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting Lucy Kaplansky on October 2 and Legion of Prog (A Prog Rock Tribute) on October 3.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will present Laugh Lounge on October 1, Better Than Bacon on October 2 and “The Dads” on October 3.
Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) is presenting Maria Muldaur on October 1, The 29ers on October 2, Solomon Dub on October 3 and Philly Blues Kings featuring Clarence Spady on October 4.
Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) presents “One Hit Wonderers: Playing hits of 60’s 70’s 80’s” on October 1, “Bell Bottom Blues: Eric Clapton Live Experience” on October 2 and “The Tull Project: Tribute to Jethro Tull” on October 3.
Steel City Coffeehouse (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, www.steelcityphx.com) will present Destroy the Moon, Former North and Special Hug on October 2 and “hazy cosmic jive: a night of bowie” on October 3.
Nikki Lopez (304 South Street, Philadelphia, https://nikkilopezphilly.com) will host British industrial legends <PIG> on October 1. The venue will also present Crystal Spiders and Heavy Temple on October 2, and Brandon Reilly, Latewaves and Julian Rosen on October 3.
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com) will have Public Image LTD on October 2, Ceremony on October 3, Russian Circles on October 4 and Bright Eyes on October 7.
