FIDDLER ON THE ROOF IN YIDDISH Celebrates One Year Anniversary

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) production of Fiddler on the Roof, in Yiddish with English Supertitles, will celebrate its one year anniversary on Wednesday, July 17 at Stage 42 (422 W 42nd St.).

"When Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish first premiered last summer for a limited 8-week run under Joel's vision, it was a revelation to me and to audiences," said Producer Hal Luftig. "It was a show that moved people to tears (including me) and I knew it had to be seen by as many people as possible. I am so proud that our unexpected journey has us celebrating our 1 year anniversary on Wednesday, and my co-producer Jana Robbins and I are committed to many more celebrations with this amazing cast."

The anniversary celebration will include Russ & Daughters rugelach being given out to theater goers in Times Square and delivered backstage for the casts of several Broadway shows to enjoy and celebrate along with the Fiddler company who will also be making an anniversary donation to the Theatre Development Fund, one of the industry's strongest organizations that advocates bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone, in all languages.

Zero Mostel, who was the original Tevye and is now being played by Steven Skybell, was a long-time customer of Russ & Daughters, the New York culinary institution that has been in the same spot on East Houston Street for 105 years. He'd often stop in to drink schnapps and eat herring in the back of the shop, and he even had his eye on marrying one of the daughters, though Joel Russ wouldn't approve of the match! Russ & Daughters has been the home of bagels & lox since 1914 and has been continuously owned and operated by four generations of the Russ family.

Fiddler on the Roof,in Yiddish with English Supertitlesis the winner of the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Revival; the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Revival; a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award Special Citation; and star Steven Skybell was the winner of the 2019 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Lead Actor. The show received critical acclaim, downtown and uptown, and has been welcoming such celebrities as Hugh Jackman, Bette Midler, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jerry Seinfeld, Harvey Fierstein, Carol Burnett and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Directed by Academy Award-and-Tony Award winner Joel Grey, the Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish cast includes: Lucille Lortel Award-winner Steven Skybell as Tevye, Emmy Award-nominee Jackie Hoffman as Yente, Jennifer Babiak as Golde, Joanne Borts as Sheyndl, Michael Einav as Ensemble; Lisa Fishman Bobe Tsatyl, Kirk Geritano as Avrom; Abby Goldfarb as Female Swing; Samantha Hahn as Beylke; Cameron Johnson as Fyedka;John Giesige as Male Swing/Dance Captain; Ben Liebert as Motl Kamzoyl; Moshe Lobel as Understudy; Stephanie Lynne Mason as Hodl; Evan Mayer as Sasha; Rosie Jo Neddy as Khave; Raquel Nobile as Shprintze; Jonathan Quigley as Ensemble; Nick Raynor as Yosl; Bruce Sabath as Leyzer- Volf; Kayleen Seidl as Ensemble; Drew Seigla as Perchik; Adam B. Shapiro as Der Rov; Jodi Snyder as Frume-Sore; James Monroe Števko as Mendl; Lauren Jeanne Thomas as Der Fiddler; Bobby Underwood as Der Gradavoy; Mikhl Yashinsky as Nokhum/Mordkhe and Rachel Zatcoff as Tsaytl.

The creative team for this Fiddler features musical staging and new choreography by Stas Kmiec, musical direction by Zalmen Mlotek, 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, props by Addison Heeren and casting by Jamibeth Margolis, CSA.

Fiddler on the Roof, in Yiddish with English Supertitles is produced by Hal Luftig and Jana Robbins in association with Sandy Block. Fiddler on the Roof, in Yiddish with English Supertitles, had never been staged in the United States until this production was presented at NYTF in 2018. The story of Fiddler on the Roof is based originally on the Tevye the Dairyman vignettes by Sholem Aleichem. The Yiddish translation, originally performed in Israel in 1965, was artfully crafted by Shraga Friedman, a renown Israeli actor/director just one year after the Broadway debut of Fiddler on the Roof. Friedman, a native Yiddish speaker, was born in Warsaw and was able to escape from a war-torn Europe, along with his family, who made their way to Tel Aviv in 1941. Well acquainted with the works of Aleichem, Friedman used his translation to infuse Fiddler with rich literary references to the original Yiddish stories.

One of the most celebrated musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, with original New York Stage Production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, was the first musical theatre production in history to surpass 3,000 performances; the show won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Musical in addition to eight other Tony Awards that year; and has performed in every metropolitan city in the world from Paris to Beijing.

Tickets are available to purchase through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200 or in person at the Stage 42 Box Office (422 W. 42nd St.)

Photo Credit: Kat West