| Fiddler on the Roof | |
|---|---|
 Playbill from the original Broadway production | |
| Music | Jerry Bock |
| Lyrics | Sheldon Harnick |
| Book | Joseph Stein |
| Basis | Tevye the Dairyman bySholem Aleichem |
| Productions |
|
| Awards | |
Fiddler on the Roof is amusical with music byJerry Bock, lyrics bySheldon Harnick, andbook byJoseph Stein, set in thePale of Settlement ofImperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on "Tevye the Dairyman" and other short stories bySholem Aleichem. The story centers onTevye, a milkman in the village of Anatevka, who attempts to maintain his Jewish traditions as outside influences encroach upon his family's lives. He must cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters who wish to marry for love; their choices of husbands are successively less palatable for Tevye. An edict of thetsar eventually evicts the Jews from their village.
The originalBroadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.Fiddler held the record for thelongest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years untilGrease surpassed its run. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It won nineTony Awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned five Broadway revivals and a highly successful1971 film adaptation and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It has also been a popular choice for school and community productions.[1]
Fiddler on the Roof is based on a series of stories bySholem Aleichem about his characterTevye the Dairyman, which he wrote inYiddish between 1894 and 1914 about Jewish life in a village in thePale of Settlement ofImperial Russia at the turn of the 20th century. The stories are based on Aleichem's own upbringing nearKyiv (fictionalized asYehupetz). It is also influenced byLife is with People, byMark Zborowski and Elizabeth Herzog.[2] Aleichem wrote a dramatic adaptation of the stories that he left unfinished at his death, but which was produced in Yiddish in 1919 by theYiddish Art Theater and made into a film in the 1930s. In the late 1950s, a musical based on the stories, calledTevye and his Daughters, was producedoff-Broadway byArnold Perl.[3]Rodgers and Hammerstein and thenMike Todd briefly considered bringing this musical to Broadway but dropped the idea.[4]
Investors and some in the media worried thatFiddler on the Roof might be considered "too Jewish" to attract mainstream audiences. Other critics considered that it was too culturally sanitized, "middlebrow" and superficial;Philip Roth, writing inThe New Yorker, called itshtetl kitsch. For example, it portrays the local Russian officer as sympathetic, instead of brutal and cruel, as Sholom Aleichem had described him. Aleichem's stories ended with Tevye alone, his wife dead and his daughters scattered; at the end ofFiddler, the family members are alive, and most are emigrating together to America.[3][4] The show found the right balance for its time, even if not entirely authentic, to become "one of the first popular post-Holocaust depictions of the vanished world of Eastern European Jewry".[3]Harold Prince replaced the original producerFred Coe and brought in director/choreographerJerome Robbins.[5] The writers and Robbins considered naming the musicalTevye, before landing on a title suggested by various paintings byMarc Chagall (Green Violinist (1924),Le Mort (1924),The Fiddler (1912)) that also inspired the original set design. Contrary to popular belief, the "title of the musical does not refer to any specific painting".[6]
During rehearsals, one of the stars, Jewish actorZero Mostel, feuded with Robbins, whom he held in contempt because Robbins had cooperated with theHouse Un-American Activities Committee and hid his Jewish heritage from the public.[4] (Mostel, conversely, was admired for his confrontational testimony before the committee that led to hisblacklisting in the 1950s.[7]) Other cast members also had run-ins with Robbins, who reportedly "abused the cast, drove the designers crazy [and] strained the good nature of Hal Prince".[4]
Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman with five daughters, explains the customs of the Jews in theRussianshtetl of Anatevka in 1905, where their lives are as precarious as the perch of a fiddler on a roof ("Tradition"). At Tevye's home, everyone is busy preparing for theSabbath meal. His sharp-tongued wife, Golde, orders their daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze and Bielke, about their tasks. Yente, the villagematchmaker, arrives to tell Golde that Lazar Wolf, the wealthy butcher, a widower older than Tevye, wants to wed Tzeitel, the eldest daughter. The next two daughters, Hodel and Chava, are excited about Yente's visit, but Tzeitel illustrates how it could have bad results ("Matchmaker, Matchmaker"). A girl from a poor family must take whatever husband Yente brings, but Tzeitel wants to marry her childhood friend, Motel the tailor.
Tevye is delivering milk, pulling the cart himself, as his horse is lame. He asks God: Whom would it hurt "If I Were a Rich Man"? The bookseller tells Tevye news from the outside world ofpogroms and expulsions. Perchik, a student from the University in Kyiv, hears their conversation and scolds them for doing nothing more than talk. The men dismiss Perchik as a radical, but Tevye invites him home for the Sabbath meal and offers him food and a room in exchange for tutoring his two youngest daughters. Golde tells Tevye to meet Lazar after the Sabbath but does not tell him why, knowing that Tevye does not like Lazar. Worried that Yente will find her a husband soon, Tzeitel tells Motel to ask Tevye for her hand before the Sabbath dinner. Motel resists, as he fears Tevye's temper, and tradition says that a matchmaker must arrange marriages. Motel is also very poor and is saving up to buy a sewing machine before he approaches Tevye, to show that he can support a wife. The family gathers for the "Sabbath Prayer".
After the Sabbath, Tevye meets Lazar for a drink at the village inn, assuming mistakenly that Lazar wants to buy his cow. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Tevye agrees to let Lazar marry Tzeitel – with a rich butcher, his daughter will never want for anything. All join in the celebration of Lazar's good fortune; even the Russian youths at the inn join in the celebration and show off their dancing skills ("To Life"). Outside the inn, Tevye happens upon the Russian Constable, who has jurisdiction over the Jews in the town. The Constable warns him that there is going to be a "little unofficial demonstration" in the coming weeks (aeuphemism for a minorpogrom). The Constable has sympathy for the Jewish community but is powerless to prevent the violence.
The next morning, after Perchik's lessons with the younger sisters, Tevye's second daughter Hodel mocks Perchik's Marxist interpretation of a Bible story. He, in turn, criticizes her for hanging on to the old traditions of Judaism, noting that the world is changing. To illustrate this, he dances with her, defying the prohibition against opposite sexes dancing together. The two begin to fall in love. Later, ahungover Tevye announces that he has agreed that Tzeitel will marry Lazar Wolf. Golde is overjoyed, but Tzeitel is devastated and begs Tevye not to force her. Motel arrives and tells Tevye that he is the perfect match for Tzeitel and that he and Tzeitel gave each other a pledge to marry. He promises that Tzeitel will not starve as his wife. Tevye is stunned and outraged at this breach of tradition, but impressed at the timid tailor's display of backbone. After some soul-searching ("Tevye's Monologue"), Tevye agrees to let them marry, but he worries about how to break the news to Golde. An overjoyed Motel celebrates with Tzeitel ("Miracle of Miracles").
In bed with Golde, Tevye pretends to be waking from a nightmare. Golde offers to interpret his dream, and Tevye "describes" it ("Tevye's Dream"). Golde's grandmother Tzeitel returns from the grave to bless the marriage of her namesake, but to Motel, not to Lazar Wolf. Lazar's formidable late wife, Fruma-Sarah ("frum" is a Yiddish word for a devout Jew), rises from her grave to warn, in graphic terms, of severe retribution if Tzeitel marries Lazar. The superstitious Golde is terrified, and she quickly counsels that Tzeitel must marry Motel. While returning from town, Tevye's third daughter, the bookish Chava, is teased and intimidated by some gentile youths. One, Fyedka, protects her, dismissing the others. He offers Chava the loan of a book, and a secret relationship begins.
The wedding day of Tzeitel and Motel arrives, and all the Jews join the ceremony ("Sunrise, Sunset") and the celebration ("The Wedding Dance"). Lazar gives a fine gift, but an argument arises with Tevye over the broken agreement. Perchik ends the tiff by breaking another tradition: he crosses the barrier between the men and women to dance with Tevye's daughter Hodel. The celebration ends abruptly when a group of Russians rides into the village to perform the "demonstration". They disrupt the party, damaging the wedding gifts and wounding Perchik, who attempts to fight back, and wreak more destruction in the village. Tevye instructs his family to clean up the mess.
Months later, Perchik tells Hodel he must return to Kyiv to work for therevolution. He proposes marriage, admitting that he loves her, and says that he will send for her. She agrees ("Now I Have Everything"). They tell Tevye that they are engaged, and he is appalled that they are flouting tradition by making their own match, especially as Perchik is leaving. When he forbids the marriage, Perchik and Hodel inform him that they do not seek his permission, only his blessing. After more soul searching, Tevye relents – the world is changing, and he must change with it ("Tevye's Rebuttal"). He informs the young couple that he gives them his blessingand his permission.
Tevye explains these events to an astonished Golde. "Love", he says, "it's the new style." Tevye asks Golde, despite their own arranged marriage, "Do You Love Me?" After dismissing Tevye's question as foolish, she eventually admits that, after 25 years of living and struggling together and raising five daughters, she does. Meanwhile, Yente tells Tzeitel that she saw Chava with Fyedka. News spreads quickly in Anatevka that Perchik has been arrested andexiled to Siberia ("The Rumor/I Just Heard"), and Hodel is determined to join him there. At the railway station, she explains to her father that her home is with her beloved, wherever he may be, although she will always love her family ("Far From the Home I Love").
Time passes. Motel has purchased a used sewing machine, and he and Tzeitel have had a baby. Chava finally gathers the courage to ask Tevye to allow her marriage to Fyedka. Again Tevye reaches deep into his soul, butmarriage outside the Jewish faith is a line he will not cross. He forbids Chava to speak to Fyedka again. When Golde brings news that Chava haseloped with Fyedka, Tevye wonders where he went wrong ("Chavaleh Sequence"). Chava returns and tries to reason with him, but he refuses to speak to her and tells the rest of the family to consider her dead. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading of the Russians expelling Jews from their villages. While the villagers are gathered, the Constable arrives to tell everyone that they have three days to pack up and leave the town. In shock, they reminisce about "Anatevka" and how hard it will be to leave what has been their home for so long.
As the Jews leave Anatevka, Chava and Fyedka stop to tell her family that they are also leaving forKraków, unwilling to remain among the people who could do such things to others. Tevye still will not talk to her, but when Tzeitel says goodbye to Chava, Tevye prompts her to add "God be with you." Motel and Tzeitel go to Poland as well but will join the rest of the family when they have saved up enough money. As Tevye, Golde and their two youngest daughters leave the village for America, the fiddler begins to play. Tevye beckons with a nod, and the fiddler follows them out of the village.
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All of the characters are Jewish, except as noted:[8][9]
| Role | Broadway (1964)[10] | West End (1967)[11] | 1976 Broadway Revival[12] | 1981 Broadway Revival[13] | 1983 West End Revival[14] | 1990 Broadway Revival[14] | 1994 West End Revival[15] | 2004 Broadway Revival[16] | 2007 West End Revival[17] | 2015 Broadway Revival[18] | 2019 West End Revival[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tevye | Zero Mostel | Chaim Topol | Zero Mostel | Herschel Bernardi | Chaim Topol | Alfred Molina | Henry Goodman | Danny Burstein | Andy Nyman | ||
| Golde | Maria Karnilova | Miriam Karlin | Thelma Lee | Maria Karnilova | Thelma Ruby | Marcia Lewis | Sara Kestelman | Randy Graff | Beverley Klein | Jessica Hecht | Judy Kuhn |
| Tzeitel | Joanna Merlin | Rosemary Nicols | Elizabeth Hale | Lori Ada Jaroslow | Jane Gurnett | Sharon Lawrence | Jacquelyn Yorke | Sally Murphy | Frances Thoburn | Alexandra Silber | Molly Osborne |
| Hodel | Julia Migenes | Linda Gardner | Christopher Callan | Donalyn Petrucci | Andrea Levine | Tia Riebling | Jo John | Laura Michelle Kelly | Alexandra Silber | Samantha Massell | Harriet Bunton |
| Chava | Tanya Evertt | Caryl Little | Nancy Tomkins | Liz Larsen | Lisa Jacobs | Jennifer Prescott | Adi Topol-Margalith | Tricia Paoluccio | Natasha Broomfield | Melanie Moore | Nicola Brown |
| Motel Kamzoil | Austin Pendleton | Jonathan Lynn | Irwin Pearl | Michelan Sisti | Peter Whitman | Jack Kenny | Neil Rutherford | John Cariani | Gareth Kennerley | Adam Kantor | Joshua Gannon |
| Perchik | Bert Convy | Sandor Elès | Jeff Keller | James Werner | Steven Mann | Gary Schwartz | Peter Darling | Robert Petkoff | Damian Humbley | Ben Rappaport | Stewart Clarke |
| Fyedka | Joe Ponazecki | Tim Goodman | Rick Friesen | Joel Robertson | Christopher Snell | Ron Bohmer | Kieran Creggan | David Ayers | Michael Conway | Nick Rehberger | Matthew Hawksley |
| Lazar Wolf | Michael Granger | Paul Whitsun-Jones | Paul Lipson | David Jackson | Mark Zeller | David Bacon | David Wohl | Victor McGuire | Adam Dannheisser | Dermot Canavan | |
| Yente | Beatrice Arthur | Cynthia Grenville | Ruth Jaroslow | Maria Charles | Ruth Jaroslow | Margaret Robertson | Nancy Opel | Julie Legrand | Alix Korey | Louise Gold | |
Following its tryout at Detroit'sFisher Theatre in July and August 1964,[21] then Washington in August to September,[22] the original Broadway production opened on September 22, 1964, at theImperial Theatre, transferred in 1967 to theMajestic Theatre and in 1970 tothe Broadway Theatre, and ran for a record-setting total of 3,242 performances.[23] The production was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins – his last original Broadway staging.[24] The set, designed in the style ofMarc Chagall's paintings, was byBoris Aronson.[25] A colorful logo for the production, also inspired by Chagall's work, was designed byTom Morrow. Chagall reportedly did not like the musical.[4]
The cast includedZero Mostel as Tevye the milkman,Maria Karnilova as his wife Golde (both won a Tony for their performances),Beatrice Arthur as Yente thematchmaker,Austin Pendleton as Motel,Bert Convy as Perchik the student revolutionary,Gino Conforti as the fiddler, andJulia Migenes as Hodel. Mostelad-libbed increasingly as the run went on, "which drove the authors up the wall".[23]Joanna Merlin originated the role of Tzeitel, which was later assumed byBette Midler during the original run. Carol Sawyer was Fruma Sarah,Adrienne Barbeau took a turn as Hodel, andPia Zadora played the youngest daughter, Bielke. BothPeg Murray andDolores Wilson made extended appearances as Golde, while other stage actors who have played Tevye includeHerschel Bernardi,Theodore Bikel andHarry Goz (in the original Broadway run), andLeonard Nimoy. Mostel's understudy in the original production,Paul Lipson, went on to appear as Tevye in more performances than any other actor (untilChaim Topol), clocking over 2,000 performances in the role in the original run and several revivals.[26]Florence Stanley took over the role of Yente nine months into the run.[27] The production earned $1,574 for every dollar invested in it.[28] It was nominated for tenTony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography, and acting awards for Mostel and Karnilova.[23]
The original LondonWest End production opened on February 16, 1967, atHer Majesty's Theatre and played for 2,030 performances.[29] It starred Topol as Tevye, a role he had previously played in Tel Aviv, andMiriam Karlin as Golde.Alfie Bass,Lex Goudsmit and Barry Martin eventually took over as Tevye.[30] Topol later played Tevye in the 1971 film adaptation, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and in several revivals over the next four decades.[31] The show was revived in London for short seasons in 1983 at theApollo Victoria Theatre[14] and in 1994 at theLondon Palladium.[32][33]
The first Broadway revival opened on December 28, 1976, and ran for 176 performances at theWinter Garden Theatre.Zero Mostel starred as Tevye. Robbins directed and choreographed. Another Broadway revival opened on July 9, 1981, and played for a limited run (53 performances) atLincoln Center'sNew York State Theater. It starredHerschel Bernardi as Tevye and Karnilova as Golde. Other cast members includedLiz Larsen,Fyvush Finkel,Lawrence Leritz andPaul Lipson. Robbins directed and choreographed. A Broadway revival opened on November 18, 1990, and ran for 241 performances at theGeorge Gershwin Theatre. Topol starred as Tevye, andMarcia Lewis was Golde. Robbins' production was reproduced by Ruth Mitchell and choreographer Sammy Dallas Bayes. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival.
Another Broadway revival opened on February 26, 2004, and ran for 36 previews and 781 performances at theMinskoff Theatre.Alfred Molina, and laterHarvey Fierstein, starred as Tevye, andRandy Graff, and laterAndrea Martin andRosie O'Donnell, was Golde.Barbara Barrie and laterNancy Opel played Yente,Laura Michelle Kelly played Hodel andLea Michele played Sprintze.[34] It was directed byDavid Leveaux. This production replaced Yente's song "The Rumor" with a song for Yente and two other women called "Topsy-Turvy". The production was nominated for six Tonys but did not win any. In June 2014, to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, a gala celebration and reunion was held atthe Town Hall in New York City to benefitNational Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, with appearances by many of the cast members of the various Broadway productions and the 1971 film, as well as Sheldon Harnick,Chita Rivera,Karen Ziemba,Joshua Bell,Jerry Zaks and others.[22][35][36]
The Broadway revival began previews on November 20 and opened on December 20, 2015, at theBroadway Theatre, with concept and choreography based on the original by Robbins.Bartlett Sher directed, andHofesh Shechter choreographed. The cast starredDanny Burstein as Tevye, withJessica Hecht as Golde,Alexandra Silber as Tzeitel,Adam Kantor as Motel,Ben Rappaport as Perchik,Samantha Massell as Hodel andMelanie Moore as Chava.Judy Kuhn replaced Hecht as Golde on November 22, 2016, for the last five weeks of the run.[37] Designers includeMichael Yeargan (sets),Catherine Zuber (costumes) andDonald Holder (lighting).[38] Initial reviews were mostly positive, finding Burstein and the show touching.[39] The production was nominated for three Tony Awards but won none. It closed on December 31, 2016, after 463 performances.[40] The U.S./Canadian tour of the Sher-directed production began in 2018[citation needed] and was interrupted in March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic; it resumed in 2021[41] and continued into 2023. The role of Tevye was played by Yehezkel Lazarov for most of the run.[42]
Fiddler was first revived in London in 1983 at theApollo Victoria Theatre (a four-month season starring Topol)[14] and again in 1994 at theLondon Palladium for two months and then on tour, again starring Topol, and directed and choreographed by Sammy Dallas Bayes, recreating the Robbins production.[33]
After a two-month tryout at the Crucible Theatre inSheffield, England, a London revival opened on May 19, 2007, at theSavoy Theatre starringHenry Goodman as Tevye, Beverley Klein as Golde, Alexandra Silber as Hodel, Damian Humbley as Perchik andVictor McGuire as Lazar Wolf. The production was directed by Lindsay Posner. Robbins' choreography was recreated by Sammy Dallas Bayes (who did the same for the 1990 Broadway revival), with additional choreography by Kate Flatt.[43]
A revival played at theMenier Chocolate Factory from November 23, 2018, until March 9, 2019, directed byTrevor Nunn and starringAndy Nyman as Tevye andJudy Kuhn as Golde.[44] The production transferred to thePlayhouse Theatre in the West End on March 21, 2019, with an official opening on March 27.[45] It was nominated for eightLaurence Olivier Awards, winningBest Musical Revival.[46] Replacement players includedMaria Friedman as Golde andAnita Dobson as Yente. The run closed on November 2, 2019.[47][48]
A revival played at theRegent's Park Open Air Theatre from July 27 to September 28, 2024, directed by Jordan Fein, starring Adam Dannheisser as Tevye,Lara Pulver as Golde, Liv Andrusier as Tzeitel, Georgia Bruce as Hodel, Hannah Bristow as Chava, Beverley Klein as Yente, Dan Wolff as Motel and Daniel Krikler as Perchik.[49][50] The production was designed by Tom Scutt and choreographed byJulia Cheng.[51] A review by Mark Lawson inThe Guardian gave it five stars out of five and praised its use of the outdoor setting, its focus on "the tradition of deflective Jewish humour" and an ending that invites "a broader reflection of displacement and refugee status".[52] The show was nominated for 13Laurence Olivier Awards, winning 3, includingBest Musical Revival.[53] The production transferred to theBarbican Centre for an 8-week season from 24 May to 19 July 2025 before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour.[54][55]
A 2003 national tour played for seven months, with a radical design, directed byJulian Woolford and choreographed by Chris Hocking. The production's minimalist set and costumes were monochromatic, and Fruma-Sarah was represented by a 12-foot puppet. This production was revived in 2008 starringJoe McGann.[56]
The show toured the UK again in 2013 and 2014 starringPaul Michael Glaser as Tevye with direction and choreography byCraig Revel Horwood.[57]
A revival played atChichester Festival Theatre from July 10 to September 2, 2017, directed byDaniel Evans and starringOmid Djalili as Tevye andTracy-Ann Oberman as Golde.[58]
The original Australian production opened on June 16, 1967, atHer Majesty's Theatre in Sydney. It starredHayes Gordon as Tevye and Brigid Lenihan as Golde.[59] The production ran for two years.[60] The first professional revival tour was staged by theAustralian Opera in 1984 with Gordon again playing Tevye. A youngAnthony Warlow played Fyedka.[61]
In 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Topol recreated his role as Tevye in Australian productions, with seasons in Sydney,[62] Brisbane,[63] Melbourne,[64] Perth, Wellington and Auckland.[65] The musical was again revived in Melbourne and Sydney in 2015–2016 with Anthony Warlow as Tevye,Sigrid Thornton as Golde andLior as Motel.[66]
Topol in 'Fiddler on the Roof': The Farewell Tour opened on January 20, 2009, inWilmington, Delaware. Topol left the tour in November 2009 due to torn muscles. He was replaced byHarvey Fierstein[67] andTheodore Bikel.[68] The cast included Mary Stout, Susan Cella,Bill Nolte,Erik Liberman, Rena Strober, and Stephen Lee Anderson.[69]
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene mounted a Yiddish adaptation,Fidler Afn Dakh, at theMuseum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, under the direction ofJoel Grey, with a translation by Shraga Friedman that was first used in a 1965 Israeli production.[70] The cast included Steven Skybell, who repeated the role of Tevye,Jackie Hoffman as Yente,Daniel Kahn as Pertshik,Stephanie Lynne Mason as Hodel andRaquel Nobile as Shprintze.[71] Previews began on July 4, and opening night was July 15, 2018. The production played through the end of that year.[72] It then transferred toStage 42, an off-Broadway theatre,[73] with Skybell, Hoffman, Mason and Nobile reprising their roles. Previews began February 11, with opening night on February 21, 2019. Musical staging was byStaś Kmieć (based on the original choreography by Robbins), with set design byBeowulf Boritt, costumes byAnn Hould-Ward, sound byDan Moses Schreier and lighting byPeter Kaczorowski.[72][74] The production closed on January 5, 2020.[75] It won the 2019Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.[76]
The musical was an international hit, with early productions playing throughout Europe, in South America, Africa and Australia; 100 different productions were mounted in the former West Germany in the first three decades after the musical's premiere, and within five years after the collapse of theBerlin Wall, 23 productions were staged in the former East Germany; and it was the longest-running musical ever seen in Tokyo.[77] According toBroadwayWorld, the musical has been staged "in every metropolitan city in the world from Paris to Beijing."[78]
AHebrew language staging was produced inTel Aviv by the IsraeliimpresarioGiora Godik in the 1960s.[79] This version was so successful that in 1965 Godik produced aYiddish version translated by Shraga Friedman.[80] A 2008 Hebrew-language production ran at theCameri Theatre in Tel Aviv for more than six years. It was directed by Moshe Kepten, choreographed byDennis Courtney and starred Natan Datner.[81][82]
Un violon sur le toît was produced in French at Paris'sthéâtre Marigny from November 1969 to May 1970, resuming from September to January 1971 (a total of 292 performances) withIvan Rebroff as Tevye andMaria Murano as Golde. Another adaptation was produced in 2005 at the théâtre Comédia in Paris with Franck Vincent as Tevye andIsabelle Ferron as Golde.[83] TheStratford Shakespeare Festival produced the musical from April to October 2013 at the Festival Theatre directed and choreographed by Donna Feore. It starredScott Wentworth as Tevye.[84] An Italian version,Il violinista sul tetto, with lyrics sung in Yiddish and the orchestra on stage also serving as chorus, was given a touring production in 2004, withMoni Ovadia as Tevye and director; it opened atTeatro Municipale Valli inReggio Emilia.[85]
The musical receives about 500 amateur productions a year in the US alone.[86]
Theatre historianJohn Kenrick wrote that the original Broadway cast album released byRCA Victor in 1964, "shimmers – an essential recording in any show lover's collection", praising the cast. The remastered CD includes two recordings not on the original album, the bottle dance from the wedding scene and "Rumor" performed byBeatrice Arthur. In 2020, the recording was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[87] Kenrick writes that while the original Broadway cast version is the clear first choice among recordings of this musical, he also likes theColumbia Records studio cast album with Bernardi as Tevye; the film soundtrack, although he feels that the pace drags a bit; and some of the numerous foreign versions, including the Israeli, German and Japanese casts.[88]
A film version ofFiddler on the Roof, directed and produced byNorman Jewison and Stein, who adapted his own book for the screenplay, was released in 1971 byUnited Artists;Chaim Topol starred as Tevye. The film received mostly positive reviews from film critics[89] and becamethe highest-grossing film of 1971.[90]Fiddler received eight Oscar nominations, includingBest Picture,Best Director for Jewison,Best Actor in a Leading Role for Topol, andBest Actor in a Supporting Role forLeonard Frey (as Motel; in the original Broadway production, Frey was the rabbi's son). It won three, including best score/adaptation for arranger-conductorJohn Williams.[91]
In the film version, the character of Yente is reduced, and Perchik's song to Hodel "Now I Have Everything" is cut and replaced by a scene in Kyiv. The "Chagall color palette" of the original Broadway production was exchanged for a grittier, more realistic depiction of the village of Anatevka.[92][93]
The musical's popularity has led to numerous references in popular media and elsewhere.[94] Adocumentary film about the musical's history and legacy,Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, was released in 2019.[95]
Parodies relating to the show have includedAntenna on the Roof (Mad magazine #156, January 1973), which speculated about the lives of Tevye's descendants living in an assimilated 1970s suburban America.[94] In the filmMrs. Doubtfire (1993),Robin Williams parodies "Matchmaker".[96] In a 1994Animaniacs parody,Pigeon on the Roof,the Goodfeathers decide to marry their girlfriends; song parodies include "Scorsese" ("Tradition"), "Egg Hatcher" ("Matchmaker") and others.[97] In 2001, theH. P. Lovecraft Historical Society published a musical theatre and album parody calledA Shoggoth on the Roof, which sets music fromFiddler to a story based on the works ofH. P. Lovecraft.[98] Spanish comedian and TV-hostJose Mota parodied "If I Were a Rich Man" with the song "Si no fuera rico" ("If I weren't a rich man") during his 2008 New Year's Eve special.[99]
References to the musical on television have included a 2005 episode ofGilmore Girls titled "Jews and Chinese Food", involving a production of the musical.[100] A skit byThe Electric Company is about a village fiddler with a fear of heights, so he is deemed "Fiddler on the Chair". In theFamily Guy episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" (2003),William Shatner is depicted as playing Tevye in a scene fromFiddler.[101] The second episode ofMuppets Tonight, in 1996, featuredGarth Brooks doing a piece of "If I were a Rich Man" in which he kicks several chickens off the roof. "The Rosie Show", a 1996 episode ofThe Nanny, parodied the dream scene, when Mr. Sheffield fakes a dream to convince Fran not to be a regular on a TV show. A 2011 episode of NBC'sCommunity, entitled "Competitive Wine Tasting", included a parody titledFiddla, Please! with an all-black cast dressed inFiddler on the Roof costumes, singing "It's Hard to Be Jewish in Russia, Yo".[102]Chabad.org kicked off their 2008 "To Life" telethon with a pastiche of the fiddle solo and bottle dance from the musical.[103]
Broadway references have includedSpamalot, where a "Grail dance" sends up the "bottle dance" inFiddler's wedding scene.[104] In 2001, Chicago's Improv Olympic produced a well-received parody, "The Roof Is on Fiddler", that used most of the original book of the musical but replaced the songs with 1980s pop songs.[105] In 2004 the original Broadway cast of the musicalAvenue Q and the Broadway 2004 revival cast ofFiddler on the Roof collaborated for a Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit and produced an approximately 10-minute-long show, "Avenue Jew", that incorporated characters from both shows, including puppets. The song "Sunrise, Sunset" appears in the direct-to-video animated Disney film "The Lion King 1½".[citation needed]
Songs from the musical have been covered by notable artists. For example, in 1964, jazz saxophonistCannonball Adderley recorded the albumFiddler on the Roof, which featured jazz arrangements of eight songs from the musical. In a retrospective reviewAllMusic awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "Cannonball plays near his peak; this is certainly the finest album by this particular sextet".[106] That same year,Eydie Gormé released a single of "Matchmaker",[107] and jazz guitaristWes Montgomery recorded the same tune for his albumMovin' Wes.[108]
In 1999,Knitting Factory Records releasedKnitting on the Roof, a compilation CD featuring covers ofFiddler songs by indie and experimental bands such asthe Residents,Negativland, andthe Magnetic Fields.[109][110]Indie rock bandBright Eyes recorded an adaptation of "Sunrise, Sunset" on their 2000 albumFevers and Mirrors.Allmusic gave the album a favorable review,[111] and the online music magazinePitchfork Media ranked it at number 170 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[112] In 2005, Melbournepunk bandYidcore released a reworking of the entire show calledFiddling on Ya Roof.[113]
Gwen Stefani andEve covered "If I Were a Rich Man" as "Rich Girl" for Stefani's 2004 debut solo albumLove. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The song was inspired by the 1993 BritishLouchie Lou & Michie Oneragga version of the same name.[114] Stefani's version reached No. 7 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained for over six months.[115] It was certified gold by theRIAA[116] and nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.[117] It was also covered in 2008 and 2009 by theCapitol Steps, poking fun at Illinois politics, especially then-GovernorRod Blagojevich.[118] TheSanta Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps performs the "Bottle Dance" fromFiddler as a "recurring trademark", including at theDrum Corps International World Championships.[119]
The song "Sunrise, Sunset" is often played at weddings,[120] and in 2011Sheldon Harnick wrote two versions of the song, suitable for same-sex weddings, with minor word changes. For example, for male couples, changes include "When did they grow to be so handsome?".[120]
In 2015 a displaced persons camp southwest of Kyiv namedAnatevka was built by Chabad RabbiMoshe Azman to house the Jews fleeing the2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[121][122]
Fiddler's originalBroadway production in 1964 was nominated for tenTony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, and book, and Robbins won for best direction and choreography. Mostel and Karnilova won as best leading actor and best featured actress. In 1972, the show won a special Tony on becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history.
Its revivals have also been honored. At the 1981 Tony Awards, Bernardi was nominated as best actor. Ten years later, the 1991 revival won for best revival, and Topol was nominated as best actor. The 2004 revival was nominated for six Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards but won none. The 2007 West End revival was nominated forLaurence Olivier Awards for best revival, and Goodman was nominated as best actor. The 2019 West End revival won the Olivier Award for best revival, and it received a further 7 nominations. Theoff West End production in 2024 was nominated for 13 Olivier Awards, winning 3, including best revival.[53]
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