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Fiddler on the Roof on Tour
In Broadway terms, Fiddler on the Roof is a tradition unto itself. The much-loved story of Tevye the milkman's struggle to reconcile old Jewish ways with the modern world opened on Broadway in 1964 and held the record for longest-running musical — with 3,242 performances until it closed in 1970 — for nearly 10 years. The blockbuster won nine Tony Awards — including best musical, direction, and choreography — and has been revived on Broadway five times.
Producer Harold Prince hired director-choreographer Jerome Robbins to bring Sholom Aleichem's turn-of-the-19th-century Yiddish tales of life in the Anatevka shtetl, where existence is "as precarious as a fiddler on the roof," to the stage. Jerry Bock's music and Sheldon Harnick's lyrics illuminated the fading world of East European Jewry, while Joseph Stein's book brought a humorous taste of Jewish comedy's borscht belt. Painter Marc Chagall's blend of Jewish traditionalism and artistic modernism inspired the show's memorable look. Zero Mostel played Tevye, and Beatrice Arthur, of Maude television fame, portrayed Yente the matchmaker.
The most recent revival arrived in 2015, when director Bartlett Sher enhanced the show's authenticity with the help of Israeli-born choreographer Hofesh Shechter. The New York Times praised the new production as "superb" while noting how it recaptured the foot-stomping, hand-waving energy of the original.
Sher's revival, now on tour with Yehezkel Lazarov as Tevye and Maite Uzal as his wife Golde, is delighting audiences with celebratory songs like "Tradition," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "To Life (L'Chaim)," as well as beautiful melodies of love and loss such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Far From the Home I Love."
As part of a trend that began with The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof fans are dressing up as Anatevkans and belting out tunes during screenings of the show's 1971 film adaptation. Their participatory zeal reflects the devotion the musical has inspired and the power of its music.
"What can we do?" asks Tevye of Golde during a moment of doubt. "It's a new world." One solution is to return to the source for cultural renewal. We may not experience the same problems as shtetl Jews in 1905 did, but Fiddler on the Roof assures us that almost any difficulty can be surmounted with great music and exuberant dancing.
Fiddler on the Roof was excellent. Topol is the best person to play Tevye. He has a great voice. The other cast members wer wonderful. The singing and the actig was truly remarkable.
Words can't fully describe the experience of seeing Topol on stage in 2009. This is like being able to see Judy Garland play Dorothy, or Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. For those of you who haven't seen the film (see it), Topol's performance in 1971 married one of the greatest performers of all time with one of the greatest roles ever written for a musical. Nearly 40 years later, to see and hear this warm, vibrant human being fill the theater with laughter and tears for 3 hours was an experience I will never forget. His song renditions were even more captivating, his dancing still natural and light, and his passion and joy perhaps even more moving than in the film, which is nothing short of amazing. An incredible experience, and I would urge anyone to see it while they can.
The fiddler story is timeless. You don't have to be Jewish to understand the loss of traddition. Topol and the cast bring the story to life. Even just with his hand movements you know exactically what he is thinking.
Fiddler On the Roof is fantastic and unforgettable show!!!
the best musical i've ever seen. Chaim Topol is amazing
