The first Broadway musical to break the 3,000-show mark opened 50 years ago today.

Fiddler on the Roof was written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, with a libretto by Joseph Stein. It’s based on Tevye and his Daughters and other stories by author Sholem Aleichem.

Veteran comedian and actor Zero Mostel played Tevye after several stars turned the role down.

Fiddler on the Roof won nine Tony Awards and was Broadway’s longest-running show for more than ten years. It is now number 16 in terms of longevity.

It has been revived on Broadway four times and was made into a movie in 1971 by Toronto producer/director Norman Jewison.