![]() STEVEN SKYBELL: Well, that - the thing that's amazing about that - there is a Sholem Aleichem story, which I don't believe is a Tevye story, but it's called "If I Were A Rothschild." And so Shraga Friedman did continue to go back to the original Sholem Aleichem just to pick some aspects of it, to just pepper Sholem Aleichem a little more throughout the musical. Steven, how did "If I Were A Rich Man" become "If I Were A Rothschild?" GROSS: And the Rothschilds were, of course, a very, very wealthy Jewish family - like, internationally famous. For example, one of the most famous songs from the show is "If I Were A Rich Man," but the Yiddish version in this production that you're doing is “Ven Ikh Bin A Rotshild," which is "If I Were A Rothschild." GROSS: The songs aren't, like, a direct translation of the Sheldon Harnick lyrics. I said - but something inside of me said, you have to do this. Would you like to direct it? And I said, I don't speak Yiddish, and I don't. And then I got a call from Zalmen Mlotek from the Folksbiene, and he said, I'm doing "Fiddler On The Roof" in Yiddish. I have been obsessed with that and once thought I wanted to play Tevye, but then I got too old. But essentially, it's pretty much the same show as we came to know it on Broadway. And as far as I know, he interpolated certain Yiddishisms into Sheldon Harnick and Joe Stein's work, the original work. And then he did it in Hebrew, and it was a success. GREY: And Hebrew was the language that they adopted. GROSS: And Hebrew became the language instead of Yiddish. And that Yiddish version did not go very well because Israelis, they thought they were modern and invent - reinventing the world, and they were. JOEL GREY: Shraga Friedman was an actor and director, and he translated it for himself to play in Israel after it was a big hit on Broadway. ![]() So, Joel, what's the backstory of the Yiddish version of "Fiddler On The Roof" that you're using? Who wrote it? Why did they write it? Joel Grey, Steven Skybell, welcome to FRESH AIR, and congratulations on this production. "Fiddler On The Roof" is based on stories that were written in Yiddish by Sholem Aleichem. Yiddish used to be the primary language spoken by Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. This revival of "Fiddler" is a production of the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, which is the longest continuously producing Yiddish theater company in the world. The pogroms, Russian attacks on the Jews in the shtetls, have gotten worse, and the Russian czar has been ordering the expulsion of Jews in many villages. Some of the change confronting the family is tragic. The show is about the generational conflict between following religious and cultural traditions and adapting to a world that is rapidly changing. But the daughters want to marry for love. Three of his daughters are old enough to marry, and Tevye and his wife are expecting to follow the tradition of arranged marriages. Tevye is a dairyman who struggles to support his wife and five daughters. At the time "Fiddler" takes place, many Jews in the Russian Empire were confined to living in the shtetls. Shtetl is the Yiddish word for small town or village. It's set in 1905 in a shtetl in Eastern Europe. TERRY GROSS: "Fiddler On The Roof" is one of the most popular shows in Broadway history and has been performed around the world. Joel Grey is most famous for starring as the emcee in the original Broadway cast of "Cabaret" and in the Bob Fosse film adaptation. We're going to listen back to Terry's 2019 interview with Steven Skybell, who stars as Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directs the production. UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing in Yiddish).īIANCULLI: That's music from the Yiddish version of "Fiddler On The Roof," which is now playing again off-Broadway. If you know the show, this music will sound familiar, but these lyrics won't. ![]() I'm David Bianculli, in for Terry Gross.īIANCULLI: One of the most popular shows in Broadway history is back on stage in New York.
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