Fiddler on the Roof

A cultural minority tries to maintain its traditions in the face of a repressive czar. The plot for "Fiddler on the Roof," set in a shtetl in 1905 Russia, used to sound remote and distant. But the musical by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein is getting new currency under Ten Thousand Things director Michelle Hensley, who has cast actor Steven Epp as iconic milkman Tevye in this production. Epp is largely surrounded by a cast that's mostly of color, including Joy Dolo, Kory LaQuess Pullam, Thomasina Petrus, Eric Sharp, Sheena Janson and Dennis Spears. Hensley also has tapped actors Tyson Forbes and Elise Langer in a bare-bones, miniature production that, as is usual with shows by Ten Thousand Things, emphasizes performance virtuosity over props and scenery. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Augsburg College, Foss Lobeck Miles Center, 2211 Riverside Av., Mpls.; Feb. 23-26, March 2-5 & 16-19 at Open Book, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls.; March 9-12 at Minnesota Opera Center, 620 N. 1st St., Mpls. $30. 1-800-838-3006 or brownpapertickets.com.)

ROHAN PRESTON