Theodore Bikel has had a legendary career: He has played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof more than 2,000 times over 37 years; he was the original Baron Von Trapp in the Broadway production of The Sound of Music; he has appeared in 35 films, including The African Queen and The Defiant Ones. “A performance by Theodore Bikel is a historic occasion in and of itself,” writes AV theater editor Anthony Chase. Bikel comes to the Canisius College Montante Cultural Center this weekend to read The Disputations, a historical play by Hyam Maccoby, which takes its title from “disputations,” or debates, that were arranged during the Middle Ages between Christian and Jewish theologians in an effort to convince Jews to convert to Christianity. The play is a reenactment of a debate held in Barcelona before King James of Aragon in 1263 between the monk Pablo Christiani and Rabbi Moses ben Nachman. Buffalo actors David Hyde Lamb and Anne Gayley are also featured in the cast. A question-and answer period will follow the performance.

Saturday, September 16 at 7:30pm. Canisius College Montante Cultural Center, 2001 Main Street (883-7000). $35 (ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 852-5000 or visit Ticketmaster outlets including Kaufmann’s).