For the cast of Liberty High School drama club's "Fiddler on the Roof" — opening this weekend at the school — the show doubles as a lesson in classic Broadway tunes and cultural awareness.

The musical, set in the small Russian village Anetevka during the early 1900s, focuses on efforts of the character, Tevye, in maintaining Jewish traditions while the three eldest of his five daughters meet men who aren't traditional matches.

The play runs April 17, 18, 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. in the Schnorr Auditorium at Liberty High School. Tickets cost $8. For details, call 410-751-3660.

Most of the 40 cast members weren't familiar with details of Judaism and how it's used in the play, so director Sharon Cowart found some help: Dina Shein, the school's media specialist, served as cultural adviser for the cast.

Shein, an American-Israeli, said she tried to make sure traditions are portrayed as accurately as possible through examples and stories. The students have done a great job, she said — though not without a few comic missteps, such as the breaking of the glass during the wedding.

"They bring me a big goblet, and I said, 'It just has to be a tiny little thing!' " she said, laughing. "I told them why we keep the tradition ... but, it has to break, and if you bring me a goblet, it may not break."

Nick Hayes, 17, who plays the rabbi in "Fiddler," said he considers Shein his mentor for the play.

"She explained to me (that) in Christianity a priest is like the messenger from God to the people; where a rabbi is from the people to God," he said.

The cast also heard a presentation by a member of a Beth Shalom congregation, designed to help them gain an understanding of the Jewish culture and what life would have been like at that time.

Jonah Boyer, 15, of Eldersburg, plays Tevye, and found the tips helpful for his role.

"It definitely helped my character develop. There's a lot of little things I do and say, like when I walk into a door, I'm supposed to put my fingers on the door frame and then kiss it. It's really symbolic," he said. "It's a bunch of those little things that it's much better to know when you're doing this, because you only have a limited amount of knowledge from the people who are here."

Jason Dubbs, 18, said it was surprising to see how much traditions are reflected by characters in "Fiddler."

"When the third eldest daughter marries the Christian boy, the father disowns her," said Jason, who portrays Perchik, a character who falls in love with Tevye's oldest daughter. "He talks about her as if she were dead."

Shane Moran, 15, of Marriottsville, plays the shy tailor Motel Kamzoil, who is in love with Tzeitel.

"That's a situation with my character because the love of my life is set for a match with someone else, but we don't want that," he said. "Me and Tzeitel want to get married. I have to convince her father, that I'm ... the perfect match for her."

Even without having to learn about unfamiliar traditions, pulling off a Tony Award-winning musical is challenging.

But Jonah (Tevye), who is a drummer for the Eldersburg-based hardcore/metal band, Delicious Eaten Crackers, said the play is a way to hone his musical tastes. He said his iPod's song list ranges from death metal to classical and "the most beautiful music of all time."

Now he's singing Tevye's tunes.

"That musical element really got me into it," he said.

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