Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters-each one's choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith-and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.
Bartlett Sher, the director behind the acclaimed Lincoln Center revivals of 'South Pacific' and 'The King and I,' respects the material while enlivening it. The scenes are staged with acute sensitivity, while a full orchestra plays the timeless score. The opening sequence is somewhat new. Danny Burstein, dressed in modern attire, is apparently looking to retrace his ancestry. As he recites Tevye's opening lines ('A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no?'), the shtetl community, like a ghost being summoned back, comes forward and breaks into 'Tradition.' The fiddler also flies, a la Peter Pan.
Mr. Burstein unleashes his rich baritone with roof-raising force when Tevye's emotion is at its height, bringing home the character's indomitable will, often hidden beneath his self-deprecating humor and sorely tried by his rebellious daughters. Mr. Burstein's way with a classic Jewish joke is assured but unforced, his performance affecting but not overscaled, in keeping with the production's emphasis on the musical's emotional underpinnings, rather than the frosting of shticky comedy.
1964 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1967 | West End |
London Production West End |
1969 | US Tour |
Bus and Truck Tour US Tour |
1976 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1981 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1983 | West End |
London Revival West End |
1990 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
1994 | West End |
London Revival West End |
2004 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2007 | West End |
London Revival West End |
2009 | US Tour |
Touring Revival US Tour |
2010 | US Tour |
Troika Entertainment National Tour US Tour |
2011 | US Tour |
Touring Revival US Tour |
2015 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2018 | Off-Broadway |
National Yiddish Theatre Production Off-Broadway |
2018 | West End |
London Revival at Menier Chocolate Factory West End |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
NYTF Off-Broadway Production at Stage 42 Off-Broadway |
2019 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
2019 | US Tour |
2019 Revival Tour US Tour |
2022 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Return Production Off-Broadway |
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Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
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2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Danny Burstein |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Bartlett Sher |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Fiddler on the Roof |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Fiddler on the Roof |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Danny Burstein |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Fiddler on the Roof |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Danny Burstein |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or off-Broadway) | Fiddler on the Roof |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Hofesh Shechter |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Danny Burstein |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Fiddler on the Roof |
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