Fiddler on the Roof

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Fiddler on the Roof
Original Broadway production
Poster for the production
Music	Jerry Bock
Lyrics	Sheldon Harnick
Book	Joseph Stein
Theatre	Imperial Theatre (1964–1967) Majestic Theatre (1967–1970) Broadway Theatre (1970–1972) Minskoff Theatre (2004–2006)
Opened	September 22, 1964
Closed	July 2, 1972
Producer(s)	Harold Prince
Director	Jerome Robbins
Choreographer	Jerome Robbins
Scenic designer	Boris Aronson
Costume designer	Patricia Zipprodt
Lighting designer	Jean Rosenthal
Originally starring	Zero Mostel Beatrice Arthur Maria Karnilova
IBDB profile

Fiddler on the Roof is a Broadway musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and libretto by Joseph Stein which later became a well-known movie musical. It opened on Broadway on September 22, 1964: Zero Mostel played the protagonist, Tevye the Milkman, alongside Maria Karnilova as his wife Golde, Beatrice Arthur as Yente the Matchmaker, and Bert Convy as Perchik the student revolutionary.

The story is loosely based on Tevye and his Daughters, or Tevye the Milkman by the Russian Jewish author Sholom Aleichem, originally published in 1894.

Tevye was played by Chaim Topol in later productions; he also starred in the successful 1971 film adaptation by Norman Jewison. Other actors that have played Tevye on stage have included Alfie Bass, Herschel Bernardi, Theodore Bikel, Leonard Nimoy, and Alfred Molina.

The musical was revived on Broadway for the fourth time in 2004, with Alfred Molina (and later Harvey Fierstein) as Tevye and Andrea Martin (and later Rosie O'Donnell) as Golde. The revival closed on January 8, 2006.

A version of Fiddler on the Roof was created by Joseph Stein called Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. for middle to elementary schools. This version cuts out a few of the scenes, including the dream sequence, to make it shorter.

Contents 1 Story 2 Relation to Sholom Aleichem's Tevye 3 Parody 4 Songs 5 Awards 6 Instrumentation 7 Film version 8 Notes 9 Trivia and references 10 External links

[edit] Story

The play is set in the tiny Jewish shtetl (town) of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905.

The story centers on Tevye's attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while adapting to new pressures as the world and civilization around them are changing rapidly. These manifest themselves chiefly in the strong-willed actions of Tevye's eldest three daughters, who each select her own husband, contrary to tradition. In both the film and stage production, Tevye has five daughters.

The play's name stems from a painting by Marc Chagall, one of many surreal paintings he created of Eastern European Jewish life. The Fiddler is a metaphor of survival through tradition and joyfulness. In the 1971 film adaptation, the violin music was played by Isaac Stern.

The show begins with a lone fiddler standing on a roof playing a tune, as Tevye tells the audience about the customs of his people and about how they have lived all their lives in Anatevka. He equates life in Anatevka with being a "fiddler on a roof": trying to scratch out a simple, pleasant tune without breaking his neck. "How do we keep our balance?" he asks. "That I can tell you in one word: Tradition!" (Tradition (song))

At Tevye's home, everyone is busy preparing for the Sabbath meal. Golde, the matriarch, is ordering the five daughters about, when Bielke and Sprintze, the youngest daughters, spot Yente, the matchmaker, on her way to their house. Yente tells Golde that Lazar Wolf, the town's butcher and a wealthy man, older than Tevye, wants to marry Tzeitel, but Tevye must first meet Lazar and arrange the deal. Yente leaves, asking Golde to tell her how it goes.

The two middle daughters Hodel and Chava, talk about their excitement over an arranged marriage, but Tzeitel warns them not be so hasty because they are so poor, that they will probably have to take whatever husband Yente brings. (Matchmaker, Matchmaker)

Tevye is late arriving home because his horse has broken his foot (a running joke of the play, as the horse never actually appears, although the play takes place over the course of a year). He prays to God and asks him why he could not have been a rich man. He finds no shame in being poor, but complains that there's no great honour in it either. He imagines how life could be if he had been "blessed with small...fortune". (If I Were a Rich Man (song))

The men of the village confront Tevye, as he is late delivering their milk and cheese. Avram, the bookseller, has news from the outside world and tells them of pogroms and expulsions. A student from Kiev, Perchik, overhears them and scolds them for doing nothing more than talk. Significantly, Perchik, alone among the men, is clean-shaven; he wears more modern clothing and no tallit katan, the traditional four-cornered garment with tzitzit. The men dismiss Perchik as a radical, but Tevye takes a liking to him and invites him home, offering him room and board in exchange for tutoring his daughters.

The two arrive home to meet the family. Motel Kamzoil, a tailor, who has been friends with Tzeitel since childhood, arrives. Golde tells Tevye to meet Lazar after the Sabbath, she does not tell him what it is about because she knows Tevye does not like Lazar. Tzeitel tells Motel that he must talk to Tevye that night and ask for her hand in marriage immediately. This is against tradition, as a matchmaker normally arranges marriages - and Motel is just a poor tailor. Motel fails to gather the courage to ask, and he runs out of time as everyone settles in for the beginning of the Sabbath meal. (Sabbath Prayer)

After Sabbath, Tevye goes to meet Lazar at Mordcha's inn, where many of the villagers are drinking merrily. After a mistunderstanding about a milk cow, Tevye agrees to let Lazar marry Tzeitel. All of the patrons of the inn, including a group of well-meaning Russians, join in the festivities and everyone celebrates Lazar's good fortune. (To Life)

Outside of the inn, a drunken Tevye meets the Russian Constable, who has been assigned to watch over the Jews in the town. He explains to Tevye that there is going to be a "demonstration" in the coming weeks (a euphemism for pogrom). Tevye is distraught, but the Constable says he is powerless to stop it, and that he expects that no one will actually be hurt. After the Constable leaves, Tevye meets the fiddler and dances with him home.

The next morning, a hungover Tevye delivers the news to Tzeitel and the family that she will be marrying Lazar Wolf. Golde is overjoyed, but Tzeitel is horrified and pleads with Tevye not to make her marry Lazar because she would be unhappy for the rest of her life. Tevye relents and allows Motel, who eventually stands up to Tevye, to marry Tzeitel.(Tevye's Monologue) Tevye leaves the happy couple and has a frightening thought: how will he break the news to Golde? An overjoyed Motel celebrates with Tzeitel. (Miracle of Miracles)

At first unsure how to break the news to his wife Golde, Tevye concocts a dream in which Golde's departed Grandmother Tzeitel returns from the grave to bless the marriage of Tzeitel and Motel, not Lazar. In the same dream, Lazar's late wife, Fruma Sarah, warns of severe retribution should Tzeitel marry her husband-in-life Lazar. Golde is so frightened that she agrees that Tzeitel will marry Motel. (Tevye's Dream)

Later, while walking home, Chava is nervous when some Russian peasants surround her, until Fyedka, a handsome Russian, tells the others to move on. He lets Chava borrow a book, and a secret relationship begins.

The wedding day has come and everyone arrives to celebrate. Tevye and Golde marvel at how the two children have grown. Hodel and Perchik ponder if they will ever be wed. (Sunrise, Sunset)

At the reception, there is much dancing and celebration. (The Wedding Dance) Lazar causes a scene, angry and convinced that it should have been his wedding. Perchik finally ends the fighting by breaking yet another tradition: he crosses the barrier between the men and women and dances with Tevye's daughter Hodel. To save face, Tevye grabs Golde to dance with him and Motel grabs Tzeitel. Soon, everyone, including the Rabbi, is dancing. ("Wedding Dance II") The dance is abruptly stopped by the Constable who says that tonight is the night for the demonstration. He apologizes but lets in a mob who destroy almost everything at the wedding and wound Perchik, who attempts to fight back. After they leave, Tevye wearily tells everyone to clean up.

As Act II opens, Tevye prays to God about the events at the wedding. He calls it "quite the dowry." He asks if God has the time, to give Motel his new sewing machine to help his struggling business. Tevye admits that despite their poverty, Motel and Tzeitel are very happy.

Perchik tells Hodel he must return to Kiev to help the revolution. He explains that the violence at the wedding was not an isolated incident and that it will happen again. Perchik, and others like him, are gathering to stand against the Tzar of Russia. Hodel does not like it that Perchik is simply leaving and she fails to understand his reasons. He asks if they can be engaged as he loves her and wants her to know that even though they are apart, he will always be hers. She agrees. (Now I Have Everything)

Tevye is not so agreeable to this news. At first, he will not allow Perchik to be engaged to Hodel, because the first thing he's doing is abandoning her. When he forbids them, they inform he they are not asking for his permission, only his blessing. This shocks him, but he finally relents. (Tevye's Rebuttal)

Tevye explains these events to Golde who is not happy with the news either. He says they are powerless to stop it though, this breaking of tradition. "Love", he says, "it's the new style". Tevye then wonders if Golde loves him. Golde is at first unwilling to answer as she thinks it is irrelevant at this time with all of her daughters getting married off without her consent and because it's kind of pointless after 25 years of marriage anyway. Tevye explains that even though theirs was an arranged marriage, his parents said they would soon learn to love each other. (Do You Love Me?) At the end of the song, they recognize their love for each other.

News spreads quickly in Anatevka. (The Rumor) Hodel receives word that Perchik has been arrested and decides she must go to be with him. Tevye is saddened by this but Hodel explains that her home is no longer with him but she will always love her family. She has a hard time leaving her father and family, but she knows that her place is with the one she loves. (Far from the Home I Love)

Weeks pass. Soon the entire village is buzzing with the news: there is a new arrival at Motel and Tzeitel's. A crowd gathers at Motel's tailor shop to congratulate the couple on the latest addition to the family: a sewing machine. After a quick blessing from the rabbi, a distressed Fyedka enters to pick up a shirt. He exits the shop to speak with Chava, who promises to tell her father of their secret: they have been seeing each other and wish to be married. Tevye enters, seeing them together and receives an akward handshake from Fyedka as he leaves. She finally gathers the courage to ask Tevye to allow the marriage, but this is a line that Tevye will not cross. He will not allow Chava to marry outside of the faith. Chava disobeys and elopes with Fyedka before running off. Tevye wonders where he went wrong. (Chava Sequence)However, when Chava asks him to accept them, Tevye struggles, "on the one hand... on the other hand"— until he realizes that "there is no other hand", and he turns his back on Chava for the rest of his life.

Rumors are spreading throughout Anatevka of villagers being forced to leave their homes by the Tsar. Several members of the town gather at Tevye's home. The meeting is distrupted by the entrance of the Constable who tells everyone they have three days to sell everything and leave the town. After they recover from the shock, they sing about how miserable their town was, but about how it is still their home.(Anatevka)

And so the Jews of Anatevka leave. Lazar Wolf is going to Chicago to live with his brother-in-law. Tzeitel and Motel are going to Warsaw until they can come to America to live with Tevye and his family, who are all going to live with Uncle Avram in New York. Hodel is still in Siberia with Perchik. Yente is going to the Promised Land (Israel, then part of the Ottoman Empire) to matchmake there. Chava returns with Fyedka to try and get Tevye to relent. Though he does not speak directly to her, he tells Tzeitel, as Chava is leaving, that he hopes God will be with them. Everyone says their good-byes and the Fiddler is invited along with Tevye (the original theatrical ending and the film's ending) or is left behind in Anatevka (the 2004 revival's ending).

• The revival also features a song sung by Yente and some women of the village entitled "Topsy Turvy" discussing the disappearing role of the matchmaker in society.
• There is also a chorus of Tradition after Tevye sings Chavaleh and Chava attempts to talk to him. He declares that she is dead to him and walks away as the chorus swells.

[edit] Relation to Sholom Aleichem's Tevye

In The Jewish Century, Yuri Slezkine argues that Fiddler Americanizes Sholem Aleichem's Tevye, and that in the original book Tevye actually despises the United States.^[1]

However in a later book, Adventures of Motel the Cantor's Son, Aleichem expressed great admiration for the United States, and enthusiasm for the idea of immigrating there. He had chosen that path himself, and so it might be possible to argue that his character Tevye would have.

[edit] Parody

The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society published a parody of "Fiddler on the Roof", called "A Shoggoth on the Roof", which incorporates the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Defiant Theatre in Chicago announced it as part of their subscription series, but attempts to stage the show were met with legal challenges from the creators of "Fiddler on the Roof". As such the author is identified as "He Who (for legal reasons) Shall Not Be Named".

A more successful attempt to stage the parody was made by the Swedish amateur theatrical company Teater Tentakel. "A Shoggoth on the Roof" (sw. "En shoggoth på taket") was played three nights in a row during a Lovecraft convention called MiskatoniCon in 2005. It was a huge hit.

In the year 1974, Mad Magazine published a parody of Fiddler on the Roof called Antenna on the Roof, which speculated about the lives of Tevye's descendants living in 1960s suburban America.

A novelty rap act, Two Live Jews recorded an album entitled "Fiddling With Tradition" in 1991 which featured rap interpretations of the musical's numbers, often incorporating the original choruses.

A CD produced by New York jazz club, titled Knitting on the Roof, contained reinterpretations of the score, many pushed so far stylisticly and lyrically that they could be considered parody. For example "Matchmaker" as reinterpreted by The Residents tells an entirely new tale similar to "The Little Match Girl."

[edit] Songs

Act I

1. Tradition - Tevye and the Company
2. Matchmaker, Matchmaker - Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava (sometimes, Tevye's youngest two daughters are also included in the chorus of the number)
3. If I Were a Rich Man - Tevye
4. Sabbath Prayer - Tevye, Golde, and the Company
5. To Life - Tevye, Lazar Wolf, and the Company
6. Tevye's Monolgue - Tevye
7. Miracle of Miracles - Motel
8. Tevye's Dream - Tevye, Golde, Grandma Tzeitel, Fruma Sarah, and the Company
9. Sunrise, Sunset - Tevye, Golde, Perchik, Hodel, and the Company
10. The Bottle Dance - Instrumental, but four (though the number can be up to seven) dancers will balance bottles on their head as they perform a balancing act and dance

Act II

1. Now I Have Everything - Perchik and Hodel
2. Tevye's Rebuttal - Tevye
3. Do You Love Me? - Tevye and Golde
4. The Rumor - Yente and the Company
5. Far From the Home I Love - Hodel
6. Yente - Yente and the Women
7. Little Chaveleh - Tevye, while Golde and the three daughters and their husbands traditionally dance in the background
8. Anatevka - The Company

The best-known songs from the tuneful but unconventional score are "If I Were A Rich Man", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker". In 1993, British reggae duo, Louchie Lou And Michie One released a reggae adaptation of "If I Were A Rich Man" entitled "Rich Girl", which became a dancehall hit in America and was popular across Europe. In November 1999, Knitting Factory Records released the Knitting On The Roof compilation CD, featuring covers of Fiddler songs by alternative bands such as The Residents, Negativland, and The Magnetic Fields. In late 2004, Gwen Stefani released a hit song called "Rich Girl" which was based on Louchie Lou And Michie One's earlier single. Indie rock band Bright Eyes recorded an adaptation of Sunrise, Sunset on their 2000 album Fevers and Mirrors. In 2005, Melbourne punk band Yidcore released a reworking of the entire show called Fiddling On Ya Roof.

[edit] Awards

The Broadway production won nine Tony Awards:

• Best Musical
• Composer and lyricist: Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
• Leading actor: Zero Mostel
• Featured actress: Maria Karnilova
• Author: Joseph Stein
• Producer: Harold Prince
• Director: Jerome Robbins
• Choreographer: Jerome Robbins
• Costume designer: Patricia Zipprodt

[edit] Instrumentation

The usual instrumentation for Fiddler on the Roof is:

• Reeds
  • Reed I Piccolo and Flute
  • Reed II Clarinet
  • Reed III Clarinet and Bass Clarinet
  • Reed VI Bassoon
  • Reed V Oboe/English horn

• Horns
  • Horn in F
  • Trumpet I, II, III
  • Trombone

• Strings
• Violins I - VI
• Cellos I, II
• Double Bass

• Other
  • Accordian
  • Guitar
  • Piano
  • Percussion

[edit] Film version

Fiddler on the Roof
Directed by	Norman Jewison
Produced by	Norman Jewison
Written by	Joseph Stein, based on the stage musical (book by Stein, music by Bock and lyrics by Harnick) and stories by Sholom Aleichem
Starring	Topol, Norma Crane
Music by	Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Cinematography	Oswald Morris
Editing by	Antony Gibbs, Robert Lawrence
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	November 3, 1971
Running time	181 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The film won three Academy Awards, including one for arranger-conductor John Williams.

Recording was done at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Most of the exterior shots were done at Gorica, Lekenik, Mala, and Zagreb, all in Croatia.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Daniel Lazare, "The Chosen People", The Nation, December 19, 2005, p.36. Accessed 8 Jan 2005.

[edit] Trivia and references

• Guards can be heard humming "If I Were A Rich Man" on the Defense Ministry level of the video game Splinter Cell.
• In the Red Dwarf episode "Timeslides," Arnold Rimmer sings "If I Were a Rich Man" when he thinks he's altered history to make himself wealthy.
• On an episode of Seinfeld, George Costanza starts whistling "If I Were A Rich Man" when he is stuck in a limo with Neo-Nazis.
• In the wedding scene of Addams Family Values, "Sunrise, Sunset" is played in a funeral dirge style as the bride walks down the aisle.
• Gwen Stefani's song "Rich Girl" is based on "If I Were a Rich Man".
• The Bright Eyes song "Sunrise, Sunset" takes both its title and its melody from the song of the same title in Fiddler.
• In the The Lion King 1½ when Simba is growing up "Sunrise, Sunset" is played.
• Coincidentally, in Mrs. Doubtfire, Harvey Fierstein (who would later go on to star as Tevye on Broadway) and Robin Williams sing lines from "Matchmaker" as they make a mask for Williams' character.
• In Full House when it's the first day of school for Stephanie, Joey and Jesse sing, "Sunrise Sunset" as they exit.
• Zero Mostel, the original Tevye on Broadway, was outraged when Norman Jewison chose Israeli actor Chaim Topol to play Tevye in the movie version of "Fiddler." A few years later, when Zero's son, Josh Mostel, was given the role of King Herod in Jewison's movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar, Zero Mostel screamed at Josh, "Tell him to go hire Topol's son!"
• The commonly used phrase, "A fish and a bird may fall in love, but where will they make their home?" is from this play.
• An episode of "The Electric Company", a children's show from the 1970's, featured a performance of "Fiddler on the Chair."

[edit] External links

• Playbill article about the original Broadway production
• Fiddler on the Roof at the Internet Movie Database
• Fiddler on the Roof - Insight on Tevye's Query