Interview: SO NOW YOU KNOW with Singer Adam B. Shapiro of Off-Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish at New World Stages

Chances are you've seen Adam B. Shapiro in something. Maybe on television as the Cantor in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, maybe featured as Bella in HBO's The Normal Heart, possibly as the lead singer on Holland America Cruise Line's Show Room at Sea. If you are in New York City, there's a good possibility you've been lucky to witness Adam starring in one of his award winning solo cabaret shows around the city or, last month, selling out at the upscale Feinstein's at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana.

If Adam B. Shapiro does not ring a bell, do yourself a favor and YouTube him. He is an internet sensation with hilarious One Man Broadway videos where he literally sings, acts, wigs, costumes and transforms himself into many multiple roles in songs like "One Day More" from Les Miserables, "Kiss Me/ Ladies In Their Sensitivities" from Sweeney Todd or "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. The editing and dubbing is simply mind blowing!

Still not sure of who Adam B. Shapiro is? Then I suggest you take a trip to New World Stages in the next two weeks to see him featured in the 2019 Drama Desk Award winning Off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. Nightly, Adam appears as the Rabbi, but has gone on several times as Lazer Wolf and Tevye all under the direction of the luminary Joel Grey.

Stage, Film, TV, Cabaret and Internet, Adam does it all and well, may I add. Take a look at Adam's YouTube channel or listen to his debut album Let Love In on any digital music platform.

NA: Who is your mentor and what would you like to say to your mentor?

AS: I'm lucky to have multiple people I consider mentors, but the one that really stands out is Michael O'Hara, professor of Theatre at Ball State University. He was the first teacher to really say "I see how dedicated and driven you are and I want to work with you to help you do what you need to succeed". He gave me wonderful advice on both craft and business and has stayed in contact with me over the years, offering support and encouragement when I need it. I would like to say thank you for always being honest with me and for continuing to be in my corner even after the [number redacted] years since I graduated. I love you.

NA: What has this business given you and what has it taken away?

That's an interesting question. It has definitely taken away time. People underestimate the time required for a large show with a weekly performance schedule and why they don't hear from me sometimes for weeks at a time. Certainly, the business offers very little stability and that's interesting to get used to.

However, it has given me moments and experiences that I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life. I've gotten to travel to various points throughout the world, and create for a living. I've met people whose work I have admired and respected for my whole life and I have forged friendships and relationships that will outlast any show or project.

NA: What is the hour like before you go on stage?

LOL. I wish I were one of those actors with a specific and strict routine. I come to the dressing room and turn on my personal fan to help cool me down while I'm checking notes or doing something on my phone. Then I start makeup and make sure the voice is where I need it to be (I usually start warming up in the shower at home). The big thing I do is make sure to say hi to everyone as I come in, because I never want anyone to feel ignored.

NA: If you could experience one performance over again, which one would it be and why?

Oooooooohhh. That's a tough one. Honestly, I would have to say the first day I went on as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. I have never been more terrified at the beginning of the show, but the company was so wonderfully supportive and encouraging (some of them snuck to the back of the theater to watch me do Rich Man. Shhh). And the feeling at the end of the show when I realized I had done it was overwhelming. I cried, I laughed, I felt absolutely incredible.

NA: What are you most proud of?

I'm proud to have been part of some projects that have felt really important. Between the first Yiddish language production of Fiddler on the Roof to be produced in the USA and the HBO film adaptation of The Normal Heart, the first play to be produced about HIV/AIDS Off-Broadway, I'm so blessed to be able to represent both the Jewish community and the LGBTQ+ community in projects that have been so widely seen and appreciated.

NA: What made you first fall in love with performing?

I did my school talent show in kindergarten with a solo rendition of the scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves where the Wicked Queen turns into the witch. At the end of the performance, I heard the applause and I was instantly addicted. Over the years, I've loved learning the craft and appreciate all the work that goes into it, but if I'm honest, the thing that made me fall in love with performing was the applause that I got after that show in kindergarten.

NA: What brought you to New York City and what keeps you here?

I moved from Indianapolis right out of college to be on Broadway. Admittedly, beyond a one nighter, I have not done that yet. What keeps me in New York City is all of the other wonderful possibilities here. I love my work with the National Yiddish Theatre. I love seeing all sorts of performances from big to small stages. And a big part of it is that I love a city where you can still get good food late at night. As a performer, we often don't get to eat until after our shows and if a show is long and doesn't end until later, most places in other cities would already be closed. Not in NYC baby!

NA: You starred as Bella in the movie The Normal Heart. How did that role come to be and what is your favorite memory of filming?

When Larry Kramer and Ryan Murphy were adapting the screenplay from the stage version of The Normal Heart, they had the opportunity to add roles to the movie that were based on actual people who were instrumental in founding the GMHC. Apparently (and I never saw a picture), I look very much like one of them, so I was brought in. Two auditions and a Boy Scout uniform later (long story), I had the role. It was a dream come true. Not only to bring that important piece of theatre to the screen, but to work with all of those incredible stars (who are also incredible people). My favorite memory, without question, was that we were filming the disco fundraiser scene on the day that DOMA and Prop8 were repealed, providing the way to the legalization for same-sex marriage. Larry Kramer was there that day and got up on the stage with a microphone to say "We won!". The room erupted. It was incredible. And then we spent the afternoon dancing to "I Will Survive". Pretty magical. (RIP Larry)

NA: Currently, you are featured in several roles in the Off-Broadway version of Fiddler on the Roof at the National Yiddish Theatre. What was it like to find out that the show was reopening at New World Stages?

I have long referred to this production as the Chanukah miracle of musical theatre, because we thought we only had enough show for 2 months and it lasted 18 in our original run. The fact that we are back up and running almost three years after we closed is nothing short of miraculous. It's so great to be doing Fiddler in Yiddish again, particularly with everything that is happening in the Ukraine and the uptick in antisemitism. It feels very important for us to tell this story again. People need to hear it.

NA: If you had to pick one inspirational moment of being directed by Joel Grey, what would it be?

If I had to pick a specific memory about being directed by Joel, it would be when he was getting me ready for my first time going on as Tevye and we were rehearsing "Do You Love Me", he got so laser focused on a particular moment in the song and we must have repeated that one moment at least a dozen times because he was determined that I would get it exactly right. His face at the end of my performance was priceless because I knew I had nailed it.

My favorite memory of Joel in general is from rehearsals. It had only been a little over a week and I was still completely intimidated just being around him. One day, they were rehearsing the wedding dance and I was seated off to the side. Joel was getting a cup of coffee and as he passed in front of me, he just stopped and sat down on my lap. He just perched himself on my lap and watched the dance. My head was exploding! I had a Tony and Oscar winning tuchas on my lap! He got up before anyone could see, but a few days later he did it again and someone took a picture. It's one of the things I treasure the most.

NA: You are an award winning cabaret singer. Are you working on a new show or will you be performing somewhere soon?

I was very fortunate, in 2022, to do a little residency at Feinstein's at the Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, IN. The hotel is 15 minutes from my childhood home, so it has been wonderful to go perform for and reconnect with some of the people that I've known since before I moved to NYC. I had been pre-planning a new show for NYC in early 2022, just before the pandemic started. It's a show I still very much want to do, so while nothing is scheduled at the moment, it's something to keep your ears open about. Meanwhile, during the pandemic, I was able to finish my first album, LET LOVE IN, which I released in 2021 and is currently available on all digital music platforms. It's all songs of love and possibilities, written mostly by songwriters who I know well and with whom I have worked.