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Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman ) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem .
Jun 18, 2014 · Let’s understand what lies behind this sentence. Fyedka is daring to equate Tevye’s refusal to accept Hava’s conversion to Christianity with the czarist persecution of the Jews of Russia. The accusation is outrageous and brutal—but to it, Fiddler ’s Tevye replies meekly: “God bless you.”
Nov 29, 2016 · The events related in The Fiddler on the Roof take place in Anatevka, a fictional town inside the Pale, during the year of 1905. From 1880 to 1920, when there was a political/social crisis, the Russian government would incite the population against the Jews, trying to divert its attention from the real problems.
- Sholem Aleichem is actually a pseudonym -- In Yiddish, the name literally translates as “peace be with you,” but colloquially means, simply, “hello!”
- The original production played 900 sell outs (26 months). By then, the show had returned a profit of 352 percent to investors; it would eventually run more than 3200 performances.
- The famous “Bottle Dance” is not a traditional Jewish folk dance but the razzle-dazzle creation of director-choreographer Jerome Robbins. Robbins had previously staged West Side Story and Gypsy.
- Fiddler was a sensation in Tokyo, of all places. Since its debut there in 1967, it has been produced in Japan hundreds of times, including a major production just last year.
- A Black and White Movie Adapted The Same Plot in 1939.
- A Huge Number of Songs Were deleted.
- Bea Arthur of The Golden Girlsfame Originated The Gossipy Matchmaker role.
- The 1964 Run Was Nominated For 10 Tony Awards (and Won 9).
- It Was The First Broadway Musical to Surpass 3000 performances.
- Noteworthy Tevyes Include Alfred Molina and Leonard Nimoy.
- Fiddler on The Roofbecame A Surprise Smash in Japan.
Simply titled Tevye, it’s a more somber take on the hero’s struggle to accept a rapidly-changing world while his beloved daughters leave home one by one. In 1990, this became the first non-English language movie to be selected for preservation by the National Film Registry (the actors use Yiddish).
The writers conceived around 50individual numbers, though all but 15 wound up on the cutting room floor. "A Butcher’s Soul" and "Dear Sweet Sewing Machine" were among those discarded.
Long before Dorothy Zbornak came along, Arthur landed a spot in Fiddler’s maiden cast as Yente the matchmaker. Two years later, she’d snag another big role as the sharp-tongued, melodramatic Vera Charles of Mame.
Fiddler claimed Best Musical, Actor (Mostel), Book, Choreographer, Costume Designer, Director, Producers, Score, and Featured Actress (Maria Karnilova, who played Tevye’s wife, Golde). However, the show’s Boris Aronson lost out on Best Scenic Designer. But don’t feel too badly for him—he did win sixother Tonys.
As if this feat didn’t say enough about the show’s enduring popularity, theatergoers have also been treated to four Broadway revivals—with a fifthcoming this December.
Two years after Star Trek, Mr. Spock executed this very different gig for a few months in 1971. Molina’s portrayal during the fourth revival sparked a minor outcry, with some critics condemning the decision to place an iconic Jewish role in the hands of a Gentile (insiders began calling his version "Goyim on the Roof").
Since 1967, the musical’s seen hundreds of Japanese revivals. Joseph Stein, who penned the book to Fiddler, was once approached by a Japanese producer who asked, "Do they understand this show in America?" "Yes, of course," replied Stein, "we wrote it for America. Why do you ask?" "Because," the producer said, "it’s so Japanese."
Feb 3, 2022 · The original working title for the show was The Old Country, and other rejected titles include Tevye and Not So Long Ago, Not So Far Away. It ultimately became Fiddler on the Roof based upon a painting by Marc Chagall.
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Jul 26, 2014 · Half a century after musical favourite Fiddler on the Roof made its stage debut on Broadway, its lyricist Sheldon Harnick reflects on his surprise at the show's lasting appeal.
