Solomon Rabinovich was a leading Yiddish author and playwright from Ukraine.
At the age of fifteen he adopted the pseudonym “Sholem Aleichem,” a Yiddish variant of the Hebrew expression meaning "peace be with you" and typically used as a greeting.
He was a “folkshrayer” (a folk-story teller) who wrote over forty volumes in Yiddish, thereby becoming a central figure in Yiddish literature, best remembered for his fictional confessions, letters, and monologues, all written in the voice of the simple religious Jew.
In 1905, as pogroms swept through southern Russia, Sholem Aleichem attempted to settle in New York City. Despite his great popularity in Europe, his lot in the US was not as good. He was forced to take up an exhausting schedule of lecturing to make ends meet.
In spite of the success of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF today, Sholem Aleichem was not a successful playwright in the US in his lifetime. His plays were not well received because they didn’t offer an object lesson in the social questions of the day. They were “old fashioned” and about tales that the newly arrived immigrants wanted to forget.
Success came three years after his death, when the famous Yiddish theater actor, Maurice Schwartz, did an adaptation of Aleichem’s TEVYE DER MILKHIKER, which consists of 8 tragic-comic stories.
Each of the tales had a farcical plot, employing stylistic humor. In a classically rabbinic manner, Tevye, the main character, tells stories about his village of Anatevka and life with his wife Golda and his five daughters. He asks questions of God and sprinkles his speeches with “biblical verses.” Some of these are mangled and others are just made up.
Of the eight Tevye stories, five were later woven into the script of the musical, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, is a tale of tradition. It a snapshot of hardship of Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia during the early nineteenth century after the death of the tolerant Czar Alexander III and the ascension of the anti-Semitic Nicholas II (Nicholas the Bloody).
The story centers on Tevya and his attempts to maintain his religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family's lives. “He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one's choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of their Jewish faith and heritage – and [finally]with the edict of the Czar that evicts the Jews from their village.”
The musical was an instant hit when it opened in 1964, becoming the first musical in Broadway history to surpass 3,000 performances.
The road to success was not an easy “miracle of miracles.”
Rogers and Hammerstein considered writing the script, but abandoned the idea. Even when Bock, Harnick and Stein succeeded in writing a book and music, investors were concerned that it was “too Jewish.”
Early on it was described as “shtetl kitsch.” Some complained because the selection of stories from TEVYE DER MILKHIKER didn’t include the “real ending” in which Tevye is left alone, his wife dead and his daughters scattered, traditionalists might be upset by the new final scene.
The biggest problem was that in out-of-town tryouts, the musical just wasn’t working. It wasn’t until Jerome Robbins came in as the new director that the problem was unearthed.
Robbins asked what the show was about. The usual answer was “a dairyman and his marriageable daughters.” It’s is recounted that Robbins said, “No, no, no, that’s no good.” Someone said, “It’s about the dissolution of traditions, a way of life.” Robbins responded, “Yes, that’s it. We have to establish the traditions at the beginning and then the audience will see how they’re breaking down. That’s the show!”
The song “Tradition” (“Traditsye”) replaced the original opening, “We’ve Never Missed a Sabbath Yet” which showed the frantic preparations for the Sabbath but not clearly enough to understand what was to come, which is a requirement for an opening song of a musical.
Robbins added the circle entrance, holding hands, and introducing the people of Anatevka. He then enhanced the theme by adding lots of ferocious dancing, including the bottle and bar dances, to express Jewish robustness and resilience.
Yes, the story was about a dairyman and his marriageable daughters, but oh, how much more.
The four-hour opening night length was shortened, but the story remained the same, just became more focused.
The script went through many titles including TEVYE, A VILLAGE STORY, TO LIFE, ONCE THERE WAS A TOWN, and WHERE POPPA CAME FROM. Finally, the producers settled on, though some disagree with this part of the tale, the image created by Jewish painter Marc Chagall of a fiddler on the roof, which also became the visual image of the production.
In spite of the fact that the show had no overture, no flirty chorus girls, no reprises, no simple plot line, no show stopper, no happy denouement/ending, it became a smash hit, considered by many to be one of the classics of American musical theater.
Because of the humorous elements in his writing, Sholem Aleichem is often thought of as a comic writer, but there is an undeniable darkness to his work which is obvious in the Yiddish revival. Maybe it is the authenticity of the language or that many don’t understand some of the subtle humor because they are not Yiddish-literate, so they miss some of the laughs. Whatever, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF IN YIDDISH carries a deep meaning and sense of purpose.
The Yiddish version, FIDLER AFN DAKH, with Yiddish translation by Shraga Friedman, under the direction of Cleveland native Joel Grey, with Jerome Robbins’ choreography, and new staging and choreography by Stas Kmiec, is captivating in a very different way than the English version. It’s a more emotionally moving story and less entertaining, more fitting in the telling of what was, but is no more.
FIDLER AFN DAKH marks the first time that the Tony Award-winning musical is being performed in Yiddish in the United States, and only the second time in history. A Yiddish version ran in Israel in 1965.
The Yiddish production, as produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene played at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. It was originally scheduled for an eight-week run, but due to audience demand, it was extended four times. It has moved to Stage 42 with continued success.
In FIDLER AFN DAKH “the actors sing about joy and hardship, and argue about the importance of tradition, in the language their characters would have spoken in the Old Country.” Are the cast Yiddish speakers? No. “Before rehearsals, the majority of them had no experience with the language. Of the 26 cast members, only three spoke Yiddish fluently.”
The truth is that, “as part of the auditions for Folksbiene’s production, actors had to prove that they would be able to learn Yiddish quickly. Those called in for auditions were given 24 hours to memorize a recording of a song in the language. From the 2,500 applications, 26 actors were chosen for the production.”
“Once the cast was chosen, each member received a recording of his or her lines and songs in Yiddish in addition to private language coaching.”
Do you have to understand Yiddish to appreciate the production? Not really. Translations are printed in English and Russian on side curtains. If you are familiar with the story and music, just taking in the happenings on stage are enough to carry the meaning.
The featured actors and the chorus are all strong storytellers, singers and dancers.
Broadway actor Steven Skybell is Tevya. This is not a Zero Mostel Tevya. This is a much deeper, more realistic Tevya. Yes, there are laughs, but the tale is more important than making funny faces, milking for laughs and providing entertainment.
Jennifer Babiak is a strong matriarchal Golde. Emmy Award nominee Jackie Hoffman is appealing and delightful as Yente, the matchmaker.
Pint-sized Ben Liebert is endearing as the nebbishy Motl Kamzoyl. His “Nisimlekh-Veniflo ‘oys” (“Miracle of Miracles) is charming.
Stephanie Lynne Mason (Hodl), Rosie Jo Neddy (Khave) and Rachel Zatcoff (Tsaytl) are character correct as the three older daughters.
Studly Cameron Johnson is convincing as Fyedke, as is Drew Seigla as Pertshik.
The set and costume designs, the lighting and sound all add to the quality of the production.
Capsule judgment: The Yiddish version of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (FIDLER AFN DAKH) is not the FIDDLER of old, with a new set and costumes. It’s a more emotionally moving story and less entertaining. It is more fitting in the telling of what was, but is no more. The authenticity created by using the “real” language of these people adds to the tale filled with Jewish tradition and pain.
What: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (FIDLER AFN DAKH)
Where: Stage 42
