Interview: FIDDLER's Michael C. Bernardi Takes On His Father's Iconic Role of 'Tevye'

Michael C. Bernardi portrays 'Mordcha the Innkeeper' each night in the current Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Last Wednesday however, the talented actor made his debut as 'Tevye', reprising the role his late father, Herschel Bernardi, made famous nearly 50 years ago.

Although Michael was only two years old when his famous father passed away, the two are now forever bonded through the experience. Today he speaks exclusively with BWW about his profoundly emotional, history-making performance!

Everyone has their own special memories of Fiddler on the Roof. When did you first realize what a special place the show had in your life?

That's a great question. Listen, when I was born the story goes that I had a very life-threatening birth, that my mother and I almost died. And my mother of course was terrified and my father was right by her side. And she asked, or more likely desperately demanded, that my father sing 'Fiddler' to her. And so he just sang the entire score of the show, whispered it into her ear, and I was born. And so it's stories like that, that I learned about 'Fiddler' at a very early age. I learned about it as soon as I could understand the English language really. So from a very early age, I knew the importance of 'Fiddler' and how intrinsically it has been woven into my life.

I understand that you wear pieces of your father's original costume during your performances.

Well when I was playing Tevye in the summer stock production out in Massachusetts I wore his shirt, the vest, a jacket, a hat, and my father's boots. And for the Broadway production, I am wearing his boots only, but they are my favorite part of the costume.

As you just mentioned, you portrayed Tevye before in a summer stock production and of course you appear in the current Broadway production in a different role. So how much rehearsal and preparation was necessary prior to taking on the role of Tevye last week?

Well we would have understudy rehearsals about once every other week and those were incredibly helpful, so I was able to run the show and run the lines and be on the stage in the role. But it was without the scenery, it was without most props, it was without costumes, it was without mics, instead of an orchestra it was a piano. So I only had one rehearsal last week with all the props and the whole cast and the scenery and all of that to really work with. You know it is a special kind of hell to be an understudy on Broadway! [laughs] It's a beautiful thing because it really challenges you to let go and to have the ability to release control, because no matter how great you felt in one rehearsal, and however prepared you felt in that rehearsal, a couple of weeks go by and its amazing how quickly all those wonderful things that you felt just kind of flow out of your being. So I found myself having to sit down and review my script and the songs on a daily basis. And people would make fun of me backstage, they'd say, 'you've been doing this for months, why are you still staring at the monitor?' And I would just answer, 'Preparation! If I don't do this I'll go crazy!' So it was a challenge, but the reward is so beyond and I'm just so grateful.

What do you think it is about the story of Fiddler on the Roof which allows it to stand the test of time?

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is ultimately a story about Jews, but the fact that they use the word 'tradition' speaks to the idea of not necessarily religion or religious practices, but ultimately honoring ancestors, honoring your parents, honoring your grandparents, continuing the memory of the people who came before you. There's a part of me that can separate my story from the story of 'Fiddler' because Tevye didn't have some big shot father like I did, Tevye didn't go to acting school like I did. Tevye is a milkman with five daughters, who is trying to lift his family's status into a more secure place. And that's the story that must be told. But that being said, I'm blessed to be a part of this story in a way where my story is about ultimately honoring my tradition, just as Tevye wants his story to honor tradition. So when it comes to that, I fully accept all of that to be included into my telling of the story. And I think what's beautiful about 'Fiddler' is that it is universal in that sense, it's not about a specific religion, it's about that human need to honor the people who came before you.

And really, the story continues to be so relevant today.

Oh yes, it's such an incredibly beautiful thing to see that for fifty years this show can still be relevant today, even comedically. Just the fact that a joke that was written fifty years ago still gets a laugh is a miracle and really speaks to the genius of the writers.

But on the other side of that, it's sad that we are still dealing with these things, and we realize just how relevant the story is, the story of displaced people, the story of oppression for believing in a certain religion, how that is all still going on. And as much as there is beauty in the idea that this show is still so relevant and we have the opportunity to address these issues, at the same time I think the greatest thing the show can do is remind people that, 'hey, we've done this before, and we know that it's wrong, so let's quit it already. This show's been showing us this for fifty years, so let's get over it!' So there's a part of me that wants 'Fiddler' to exist forever and always be relevant, but there's a big part of me that wishes that we can watch the show one day and think, 'oh wow, back then those people were really messed up!'

So what was it like to step into the role of 'Tevye' last Wednesday?

I'm still processing it! What was it like? Honestly it felt absolutely absurd that my life had come to that moment. I was standing on the stage thinking, 'How did I get here? How did all the events and all the experiences lead to this?' It reminded me of this meme I had seen online which showed 'Your Idea of Life' and it's this straight line going forward and up on a graph. And right below it it says, "The Reality of Life" and it's just all these ups and downs and circles and spirals, circling off the page and then coming back, and you arrive at a place somewhere close to what your initial idea was. So for me the experience was absurd and at the same time incredibly familiar.

I remember there is a moment at the very beginning of 'Tradition' we have this dance move where after Tevye says, 'How did this tradition start? I don't know. But it's a tradition.' And everyone gives a big stomp. And for whatever reason, sometimes even after doing it for hundreds of performances, it's hard to do that stomp in unison, we all have to stay really connected. And every once in a while, it's a little off. And that day I gave the line and usually we wait a little beat, but I think everyone was just so excited and there was so much energy on that stage, that everyone kind of jumped that beat. And so I hear behind me the stomps and everyone's now a little bit off and it's like this stampede of force. And I just looked out into the audience and gave one final stomp by myself, and I knew at that moment that this experience was just another night of theater, where anything and everything can happen. And any perceived idea of what 'Fiddler' should be or what my performance should be literally just flew out of the window and I could just be myself and give the performance that is in my heart. And of course that heart is filled with stories of my father and stories of 'Fiddler', but ultimately I felt like it was finally my turn to tell the story of Tevye and serve the world of Sholem Aleichem like my family has been doing for generations.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is currently playing at The Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway) through December 31, 2016. For additional information, visit the show's official web site.

About Michael C. Bernardi: Michael C. Bernardi attended SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts in Upstate New York where he studied the greats, including William Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov, just to name a few. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and after graduation moved back to his hometown of LA, but always had dreams of starring on Broadway. After little luck in Hollywood, he got a call from a friend who was directing "Fiddler On The Roof" at a theater in Massachusetts and asked Michael to play 'Tevye,' the role his father had famously played almost five decades before, and this was an offer he couldn't refuse. A few weeks before that show closed he heard about a revival of the Broadway show in New York City, sent an audition tape and the rest is history!

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Michael never truly knew his father as he passed away suddenly when he was 2 years old. However, Michael always kept the company of his parent's friends especially at the extravagant soirees hosted by his mother, the scene where he first got a taste for performing. He would stand in front of whoever came to the party, which typically included hot shot Hollywood actors, writers and producers, telling jokes as his own one man show. Impressed by Michael's gumption, his mother's friends encouraged her to sign Michael up for classes and she eventually enrolled him in a child's class at the world famous Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard. By the time he was 9 years old, he was performing in front of a packed house in the club's Original Room, making crowds laugh uncontrollably. After this gig, he lived a normal life, going to school, playing on sports teams and performing in school productions, and post-college he decided to pursue the art of performance again, and hasn't looked back since.

Photo credit: Tyson Lindo

Production photos courtesy of Joan Marcus