You don't really want the latest tour of Fiddler on the Roof to crack open that ol' chestnut-of-a-musical and reveal something new.

That just wouldn't feel right. Imbued and bathed with Jewish tradition, religion and custom -- no one wants to see this old gal gussied up too much. That would be like your grandmother showing up for Thanksgiving with big perky breasts and a snap-tight face.

Of course, that same quality can also make the Broadway hit, which debuted in 1964, a bit brittle and creaky.

Luckily, the production at Broward Center for the Performing Arts does the next best thing: It burnishes that tough nut, giving it a nice hue-enhancing matte finish.

And then there's Topol, who has over the many years come to inhabit every nook, every cranny of the character Tevye, from the movie version in 1971 to the 2,500 (and counting) performances onstage.

The show rests on his shoulders, his triumphant shoulders.

Fiddler, with its wistful folkloric samplings, has one of the most satisfying and hummable scores in theater. But, oh goodness, what Topol has learned to do with it. His sweet vamping of If I Were a Rich Man is so delicious you wish it would never end -- as his chesty voice curls through the cavernous hall like tobacco smoke from an after-dinner pipe.

Set in the small village of Anatevka in 1905 Russia, Fiddler tells the story of Tevye and his struggle to hold back the changes of time to preserve his Jewish traditions. His daughters dodge customs when they choose to marry for love. Meanwhile, there is persecution and chaos from the outside world penetrating Anatevka.

The rest of the cast is rudimentary at times, strangely cautious during Tradition, Matchmaker, Matchmaker and The Dream. But they stoke the embers and warm up considerably for Sabbath Prayer and To Life, giving Fiddler some lusty fire at long last, roasting the ol' chestnuts just right.

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