FIDDLER ON THE ROOF IN YIDDISH Announces Additional Casting

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has announced additional casting for their upcoming seven-week return engagement of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, the revelatory and award-winning production of one of the world's most beloved musicals.

The production, a New York Times Critic's Pick, will play a strictly limited seven-week return engagement from November 13, 2022 to January 1, 2023 Off-Broadway at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Fiddler on the Roof is presented in Yiddish with English and Russian Supertitles. Tickets are on sale at nytf.org/fiddler or at Telecharge.com (212-239-6200). For group sales, contact Caryl Goldsmith or Scott Mallalieu at Great White Way at 212-889-4300.

The acclaimed production is directed once again by the legendary Oscar and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey. As previously announced, Steven Skybell will recreate his award-winning performance as Tevye, a milkman, navigating family, faith and changing traditions in the little Russian shtetl of Anatevka. Choreography is by Jerome Robbins with Musical Staging and New Choreography by Staś Kmieć. Casting Director is Jamibeth Margolis, CSA.

Many of the performers from the 2018 production return to join Skybell as Tevye. They include Jennifer Babiak, reprising her celebrated role as Golde, as well as Ben Liebert (Motl), Stephanie Lynne Mason (Hodl), Rosie Jo Neddy (Khave), Bruce Sabath (Leyzer-Volf), Drew Seigla (Pertshik), and Rachel Zatcoff (Tsaytl). The ensemble features old favorites and new faces, including John Giesige (Swing), Kirk Geritano (Avrom), Abby Goldfarb (Ensemble), Raquel Nobile (Shprintse),
Jonathan Quigley (Chaim), Nick Raynor (Yosl/Dancer/Ensemble), Kayleen Seidl (Ensemble), Adam B. Shapiro (Der Rov/Ensemble), Jodi Snyder (Beylke, Frume-Sore), James Monroe Števko (Mendl/Ensemble), Ron Tal (Ensemble), Lauren Jeanne Thomas (Der Fidler), Bobby Underwood (Der Gradavoy), and Mikhl Yashinsky (Nokhum/Mordkhe).

Additional casting will be announced in coming weeks.

Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Tony Award winner Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Tony Award winner Peter Kaczorowski, sound design by five-time Tony Award nominee Dan Moses Schreier, and hair/wig design by two-time Drama Desk Award nominee Tom Watson. Veronica Aglow serves as production stage manager, with Kat West on board as production supervisor and Tinc Productions and Michael Costamaking up the production management team. Orchestrations are by Larry Blank and Zalmen Mlotek will serve as Music Director.

Fiddler on the Roof features a book by Joseph Stein based on stories by Sholem Aleichem, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. Yiddish translation is by Shraga Friedman. The original 1964 Broadway production, produced on the New York Stage by Harold Prince and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical has been playing on world stages ever since its original Broadway production.

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the US and the world's oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre company. NYTF's Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish,originally produced in 2018, sold out for six months before moving uptown to Off-Broadway's Stage 42 where it played for a year. The production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, a New York Drama Critics Circle Special Citation, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival, and a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - Steven Skybell. Earlier this year, NYTF staged the New York premiere of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's award-winning Harmony.

The New York Times said Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish "strikes a deep emotional chord" and "offers a kind of authenticity no other American Fiddler ever has." Newsday said it "speaks to us all." The Hollywood Reporter raves "It must be seen." The production has been hailed as "a richer, deeper interpretation" by The Wall Street Journal, "a mitzvah" by Time Out New York, and AM New York in its four star review deemed it "perfect."

Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, a New York Drama Critics Circle Special Citation, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival, and a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - Steven Skybell.

"The fictional Anatevka of Fiddler on the Roof is based on shtetls that were located outside of Kyiv in present-day Ukraine. We can't help but think of the displaced residents of Anatevka while a new generation of refugees are fleeing their homeland due to the current crisis," commented NYTF's Artistic Director, Zalmen Mlotek. "It seems like an appropriate moment for us to revisit this timeless show, and to experience its joy, sorrow, humor and universal truths in this expressive translation that enriches the experience for all audiences, whether or not you know a word of Yiddish."

"It's a blessing on our heads to have the great Joel Grey return to helm his authentic and deeply emotional production, which touched audiences so profoundly," commented NYTF's Executive Director Dominick Balletta. "It's a double blessing to welcome Steven Skybell back to recreate his magnetic, warm and moving portrayal of Tevye. We are thankful that we are able to once again share with a wide audience the power and allegiance to Jewish culture and values that this production represents. It's both an obligation and a privilege to do so."


Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish with English and Russian supertitles is produced by the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene in association with Hal Luftig, Jana Robbins, LHC Theatrical, Jenny Steingart, Steven Chaikelson, Ruth Hendel, Braemar House Productions, Jamie deRoy & friends, Nina Korelitz Matza/Nicola Behrman, Anita Waxman/Martin H Borell, and The Shubert Organizationin association with Sandy Block, Roy Gabay, Executive Producer.

The Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish is available on Time Life Music Distributed by Warner Bros.

Now entering its 108th season, the Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the US and the world's oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre company. NYTF is in residence at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek and Executive Director Dominick Balletta, NYTF is dedicated to creating a living legacy through the arts, connecting generations and bridging communities. NYTF aims to bring history to life by reviving and restoring lost and forgotten work, commissioning new work, and adapting pre-existing work for the 21st Century. Serving a diverse audience comprised of performing arts patrons, cultural enthusiasts, Yiddish-language aficionados and the general public, the company presents plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops and community-building activities in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles accompanying performances. NYTF provides access to a century-old cultural legacy and inspires the imaginations of the next generation to contribute to this valuable body of work.