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BOSTON - There are many performers who go by just one name. Cher, Prince and Sting are the best known. But you'll want to add one more legend to that list: Topol. And if you don't know who he is, best get yourself to the Opera House for the current run of "Fiddler on the Roof" to find out.

Chaim Topol is the man who played Tevye in 1967 in London, and played the central role for the 1971 film version of "Fiddler." Now he's in the midst of his farewell tour with the Tony-winning musical. Though he started as a young man playing old, he's now an old man of 74, with the verve and ebullience of a young man (just watch him singing and dancing during the curtain call). But onstage, he is the much put upon, much kvetching, sweet and funny Tevye incarnate.

The musical is set in the village of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905, where tradition is giving way to the modern world. At the center of it is Tevye, a poor milkman without a horse and father of five daughters. When love comes to town and the three oldest become smitten, the trouble starts.

The show itself has been immensely popular - it took home nine Tonys in its first Broadway run. It's filled with songs you know by heart and, frankly, a few songs you won't remember five seconds after the last note. "Tradition," "Sunrise, Sunset," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," and the joyous "To Life," are the big hits, and they're all wonderfully performed here in the first act. Things get bleaker in the second half of the show and the tunes are less memorable, Tevye is understandably less comical, and the Russians more emboldened. But, as they say, such is life.

In Topol's hands, Tevye is idiosyncratic: a weird, old dude, who commands your attention. His sly asides to God and the audience and tossed-off movements and expressions are often the highlights of any scene. His deep baritone carries the wisdom of the ages, as well as the troubles of a lifetime; and his world weariness makes his deadpan delivery all the more comic. Topol's final tour is reason enough to see this production of "Fiddler on the Roof." However, he is surrounded by a fine cast of actors, singers and dancers, also not to be missed. Separately and as an ensemble, they manage to keep this production moving, hitting the highs and the lows throughout the story. Highlights include Tevye's nightmare, which was like a gorgeous peyote dream, and the wedding scene, which featured some of the best ensemble singing of the night and beautiful lighting.

The set is comprised of a just a few pieces, shacks and trees mostly, that move about economically and imaginatively to depict the village and its environs.

Ultimately, there are many reasons to see this production of "Fiddler on the Roof." But catching Topol before he dances into the Russian night for a final time is perhaps the best.

"Fiddler on the Roof" is at the Opera House through Nov. 15. For more information, log on to www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/boston.