"Fiddler on the Roof" in Yiddish initially began performances at the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage this past summer. Its success was unprecedented, and it extended and sold out four times downtown.
This is not my interpretation of it. The Fiddler starts to play, and Tevye takes his empty vodka bottle and pretends to play. And they have a beautiful dance duet together, and you get to see the love in Tevye's eyes for the Fiddler ,
This particularly occurs when there is a big pitch or a big proposal. The micromanaging fiddler has to make sure that every single page is correct. The third one is the Oscar contender.
This show was supposed to only run for a few weeks downtown at the museum, and it's now approaching its one year anniversary. The story of "Fiddler on the Roof" is based originally on the "Tevye of the Dairyman Vignettes" by Sholem Aleichem. This Yiddish production, a translation of the musical, originally performed in Israel in 1965, was artfully crafted by Shraga Friedman,
Well, day one, I was handed the violin score from the pit, so I wasn't really sure where they were going to go with the Fiddler , because-- You came to them as an actor, not as a violinist. I came to them as an actor/musician.
Who knows? But then I kind of collaborated with Zalmen and to figure out, how do we have a real violinist do this as the Fiddler , because there a lot of dance moves in Jerome Robbins' choreography that you just can't do as a violinist when you're playing. So it's kind of a learn as you go experience.
And it's like a big cymbal crash at that moment in that show. At the end of "Fiddler on the Roof"-- and these are two characters who are not important characters-- as everybody is planning to leave Anatevka and this little
Everything is all about me. The other one is a micromanaging fiddler . This particularly occurs when there is a big pitch or a big proposal.
And then we have coachings, where they tell us exactly what each word means, so we know what we're saying at all times. And this is actually my sixth "Fiddler ." Wow. So that's easier if you know what you're saying in the background of your head anyway, sort of the inflection and the acting.
the first one to-- no, I'm going to marry who I love, you know? And then even with Laura and as the Fiddler and the ballet, just circling around her, and it's just being women. It's really empowering Jennifer, do you want to-- I know in a previous production, you played the daughters.
Talk about your Tevye a little bit. For me, as the Fiddler , he took my relationship with him so seriously.
of years before Bach wrote this piece fiddles were in the hands of musicians and a lot of these musicians maybe didn't even read music but they were Fiddlers and they knew what the tasty moves were they knew that that was O that was a cool move and that was a cool move and that one felt good and that one sounded good and that all these tasty
just a super innovative record maker. And then Charlie Daniels, the fiddler , and a couple other guys-- Randy Travis, I think, among them. So anyway, I'm in this room, and I'm hearing all these amazing stories.
And yet there are these really strong female characters. Clearly, someone chose to put a female fiddler on that roof. Do you think these women were viewed as these strong, bold people in their own time, or are we viewing it through today's lens?
What's your favorite moment to play? My favorite moment that I'm not a part of is the Fiddler dance. I stand on stage every night and watch it.
You're happy with me, because I just agreed to marry my eldest daughter to a rich guy. We're buds. And the Fiddler starts to play. This is not my interpretation of it.
Ta-ta-ta-ta! God is coming to get me. And will it mean the same thing in 100 years that even "Fiddler on the Roof" now means to us, even though it was created those 60 years ago?
And it's like a big cymbal crash at that moment in that show. Now, that's not about the story of "Fiddler on the Roof." That's about the whole history of the Jews.
In fact, the song we did-- which Kate found, and we do it in our show-- is Far From the Home I Love. Are you familiar with that, from "Fiddler on the Roof"? As it's kind of an aching ballad.
And sometimes it makes wonderful things happen. Like when I convinced the neighborhood girls to enact an a cappella production of "Fiddler on the Roof" on my back porch. I played Tevya, obviously.
This Yiddish production, a translation of the musical, originally performed in Israel in 1965, was artfully crafted by Shraga Friedman, a renowned Israeli actor and director, just one year after the Broadway debut of "Fiddler on the Roof." Friedman, a native Yiddish speaker, was well-acquainted with works of Aleichem, and used his translation to infuse "Fiddler " with the rich literary references to the original Yiddish stories.
a renowned Israeli actor and director, just one year after the Broadway debut of "Fiddler on the Roof." Friedman, a native Yiddish speaker, was well-acquainted with works of Aleichem, and used his translation to infuse "Fiddler " with the rich literary references to the original Yiddish stories. This is the first time a production of the Yiddish translation has been performed in the United States.
What made either you or your representatives think this is something you could do, you should do? Did you have any experience with Yiddish before, or did you have any experience with the Fiddler before? This is actually my third show in Yiddish, but the first show, I have a little bit of a knack for languages and accents,
Why this show now? Mm-hm. Well, it's my first "Fiddler ," and I'm not getting any younger. And I thought it would be such a cool thing to do and the Yiddish, and you know, I'm still held on a very short psychological leash
I think that's when the tears start. Lauren, you want to talk a little bit about your role as the Fiddler ? What was the direction you were given from day one?
I don't know. And then I played what felt like one minute of violin, but so when I got hired, I was like, well, maybe they'll have me speaking more or doing-- maybe this is going to be a really innovative Fiddler . Who knows? But then I kind of collaborated with Zalmen and to figure out, how do we have a real violinist do this
This is the first time a production of the Yiddish translation has been performed in the United States. And to get you excited about meeting our amazing panel, we'd like to show you a little sizzle reel from "Fiddler " in Yiddish, followed by performances of two songs from the show.
Jennifer Babiak, who plays Golda in the show. Hey. Thank you. Lauren Jeanne Thomas, who plays the Fiddler . Back there is legendary theater legend, Jackie Hoffman, Emmy-nominated Jackie Hoffman.
I'm not that old. Yeah, but there have been so many revivals, and I think so many of the audience members have said to us, it just feels like how "Fiddler " should be. And I think the language has so much to do with that and the simplicity, just to echo what everyone said.
So I think-- and the fact that Khave reads, and that these women have been taught by their father, in essence, that intelligence is important, and being educated is important. I also think going off of that, to have the fiddler be female, which I don't think was given too much weight when I got hired, truly.
I stand on stage every night and watch it. It's a moment after the where Tevye's super drunk, and he's walking home, and suddenly, the Fiddler appears. And he's like, oh, it's you, man.
The Fiddler starts to play, and Tevye takes his empty vodka bottle and pretends to play. And they have a beautiful dance duet together, and you get to see the love in Tevye's eyes for the Fiddler , for tradition. And I think that really makes you trust Tevye, trust that his intentions are pure
I came to them as an actor/musician. So actually, when we were talking about learning Yiddish, they had posted on Actors Access that they were still looking for a Fiddler , and that it could be a male or female, and they're looking for someone who plays violin.
And Mose goes out and does an impersonation. He'll be an Italian one strip, he'll be a Scotsman one strip, he'll be an Irish fiddler one strip. And he's fantastic at what he does.
And it's like a big cymbal crash at that moment in that show. And the other one, which is so different-- and the same, because it's also a question and an answer-- is a thematic moment at the end of "Fiddler on the Roof."
"I loved being the center of attention when I was a kid, and I still do. And sometimes it makes wonderful things happen, like when I convinced the neighborhood girls to enact an a capella production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' on my back porch.
Sasha baranik is going to play for you a violin piece what a piece from one of the partitas that I mean um for hundreds of years before Bach wrote this piece fiddles were in the hands of musicians and a lot of these musicians maybe didn't even read music but they were Fiddlers and they knew what the tasty moves were they knew that that was O