FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Burns Brightly For Chanukkah

The Chanukkah story celebrates miracles - and this holiday season, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) invites families to enjoy a theatrical miracle Off-Broadway: the acclaimed and unprecedented Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.

The wildly successful musical has been extended four times during its 100-plus show run - but the curtain must fall on December 30th.

"Our Yiddish musical that was only supposed to run for eight weeks instead continues to light up Off-Broadway for six months!" says NYTF Chief Executive Officer and two-time Tony Award-nominated producer Christopher Massimine. "Chanukkah is about faith, miracles, and tradition - all themes embodied in Fiddler on the Roof. Nearly 45,000 people already have laughed and cried with the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof because it speaks to our core humanity on such a deep level."

"Fiddler on the Roof is a masterpiece of the American theater. Thanks to the incredible performances of the cast and orchestra, the brilliant designers, and of course, Joel Grey's direction, the audiences are unanimous in calling this a matchless theatrical experience," said Zalmen Mlotek, Artistic Director at NYTF and Music Director of Fiddler on the Roof. "The start of the holiday season on December 2 is a time for family and friends, and what a better way to celebrate than to enjoy an exceptional communal performance."

The Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof, presented with English and Russian supertitles and directed by Joel Grey, plays Off Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place, through December 30. Tickets-starting at $75-can be purchased by calling (866) 811-4111 or visiting www.nytf.org.

Directed by Academy Award-and-Tony Award winner Joel Grey, the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof has received universal positive praise from critics, including landing a place as a New York Times' Critic's Pick. Cindy Adams of the New York Post wrote the Yiddish Fiddler was "Marvelous. Magical. Magnificent" and "Joel Grey deserves another Tony for directing this history of the shtetl of Anatevka in the shadow of Miss Liberty." Edward Rothstein of The Wall Street Journal called it "thrilling," and Tim Teeman of The Daily Beast declared the production "a moving triumph" and "piercing delight." "'Fiddler' in Yiddish unfolds with majestic simplicity," Barbara Schuler said in Newsday. Ted Merwin wrote in Jewish Week, "Anatevka crackles with a new, more authentic energy." And, Time Out NY's Raven Snook wrote, "Here's hoping that Yiddish Fiddler becomes a new tradition."

The Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof, based on the Tevye the Dairyman vignettes by Sholem Aleichem, is translated by Shraga Friedman. Tony Award-winning Fiddler lyricist Sheldon Harnick and producer/director Harold Prince consulted on the production.

In addition to Grey, Massimine, and Mlotek, the creative team features choreography and musical staging by Sta? Kmie?, casting by Jamibeth Margolis, CSA, and an all-star design team of Tony Award winners and nominees, including set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, and props by Addison Heeren.

Playing the iconic roles of Yente, Tevye, and Golde are, respectively, comedian and Emmy Award nominee Jackie Hoffman (Charlie And the Chocolate Factory, The Addams Family, Hairspray, Xanadu), and Broadway veterans Steven Skybell (Fiddler on the Roof, Wicked, The Full Monty), and Jennifer Babiak (Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Grease, Evita).

The cast is rounded out with: Joanne Borts as Sheyndl/Understudy for Yente, Fruma-Sarah, Grandma Tzeitel; Doug Chitel as Understudy for Mendel, Avrom, Nokhum, Mordkhe, The Rabbi and The Constable; Michael Einav as Ensemble/Understudy for Motel Kamzoil, Perchik, Fyedka and The Rabbi; Jessica Rose Futran as Ensemble/Understudy for Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava; Kirk Geritano as Avrom; John Giesige as Sasha/Dancer/Ensemble; Lydia Gladstone as Grandma Tzeitel/Understudy for Golde and Sheyndl; Abby Goldfarb as Female Swing - covers: Grandma Tzeitel, Fruma-Sarah, Ensemble; Maya Jacobson as Bielke; Cameron Johnson as Fyedka; Josh Kohane as Male Swing - covers: Sasha, Yussel, Ensemble, Dancer; Ben Liebert as Motel Kamzoil; Moshe Lobel as Nokhum/Mordkhe; Stephanie Lynne Mason as Hodel; Rosie Jo Neddy as Chava/Dance Captain; Raquel Nobile as Shprintze; Jonathan Quigley as Dancer/Ensemble/Understudy for The Fiddler; Nick Raynor as Yussel/Dancer/Ensemble; Bruce Sabath as Lazar-Wolf; Drew Seigla as Perchik; Adam B. Shapiro as The Rabbi/Ensemble/Understudy for Tevye and Lazar-Wolf; Jodi Snyder as Fruma-Sarah/Ensemble/Understudy for Bielke and Shprintze; James Monroe Števko as Mendel/Dancer/Ensemble; Lauren Jeanne Thomas as The Fiddler; Bobby Underwood as The Constable/Ensemble; and, Rachel Zatcoff as Tzeitel.

The 104-year-old Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the U.S. and the world's oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre. Led by CEO Christopher Massimine and Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, 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. Learn more at www.NYTF.org.