Starsky‘s Glaser stars in Fiddler on the Roof tour, helmed by Revel Horwood

Paul Michael Glaser, still best remembered by TV fans as Starsky in the seminal 1970s American cop series Starsky and Hutch, will star as Tevye in a new touring production of classic Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood in his trademark actor-musician style, it will launching on 10 September 2013 (previews from 5 September) from the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton.

The revival is the third offering from Music and Lyrics, a consortium of the UK’s largest independent No. 1 presenting theatres which was founded last year with the aim of mounting and touring new musical theatre productions. Fiddler on the Roof follows last year’s revival of The King and I (originally seen at Leicester Curve) and the current tour of High Society.

In Tsarist Russia in 1905, poor dairyman Tevye is doing his best to preserve tradition in the face of a changing world by marrying his daughters off in the traditional Jewish way. But revolution is in the air and the young are guided by their hearts, not their elders. When his daughters refuse the matchmaker’s advice and marry for love instead, Tevye must choose between their happiness and his beloved traditions.

The musical, based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem with a book by Joseph Stein and score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, originally opened on Broadway in 1964 and includes now-classic songs such as “Tradition”, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “If I Were a Rich Man”.

Fiddler on the Roof was last seen in the West End (transferred from Sheffield Crucible) in 2008, starring Henry Goodman as Tevye. This is the first major UK production since book writer Joseph Stein and Jerry Bock died within days of each other in late 2010.

Paul Michael Glaser

Paul Michael Glaser appeared in the 1974 film of Fiddler on the Roof, playing the young Bolshevik revolutionary Perchik who falls in love with Tevye’s second daughter. On stage, he has appeared in over 50 roles in regional, repertory, off-Broadway and Broadway theatre in the US. He has appeared on the UK stage before in pantomime at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley and Sunderland Empire. This is his UK musical debut.

In this new production of Fiddler on the Roof, Craig Revel Horwood will reproduce the original direction and choreographer of the its Broadway creator Jerome Robbins. Revel Horwood will be joined on the creative team by his long-time collaborator, musical director Sarah Travis. Following Southampton, Fiddler on the Roof will visit Newcastle (Theatre Royal), Edinburgh (Festival Theatre) and Canterbury (Marlowe Theatre), with further dates still to be announced.