A Stunning Fiddler
Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to see several productions of the classic musical, “Fiddler On the Roof,” which first graced the Broadway stage in 1964.
The stand out for me was the 2015/2016 revival starring Danny Burstein. I felt that production was excellent because it told the story so well.
But now a new version of “Fiddler On the Roof” has come to town. This one is not on Broadway, but instead produced in a theatre at the Jewish Museum of Heritage down by the Battery. And this production is performed entirely in Yiddish.
Produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, directed by Joel Grey, this production takes Fiddler to a whole new level.
While the production starring Danny Burstein as Tevye excelled in storytelling, this Fiddler supercedes all others in its authenticity and depth of emotion. The rich Yiddish language is itself so expressive, and therefore the meaning of the words are communicated in a most heartfelt manner.
Kudos to the cast members who were coached in the language, and speak and sing in Yiddish effortlessly.
And bravo to the star of the show, Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye. His interpretation is real, raw and true. Steven’s performance will hit you on a visceral level and leave you laughing and in tears, sometimes at the same time.
Caption: Steven Skybell stars as Tevye Photography credit: Victor Nechay / ProperPix
The always hilarious Jackie Hoffman plays Yente, Jennifer Babiak is fabulous as Golde, and the entire cast is simply wonderful.
Caption: Jackie Hoffman as Yente Photography credit: Victor Nechay / ProperPix
From the simple set, which works perfectly for this production, to the incredible dancing, to the amazing orchestra, this Fiddler is the one not to miss.
By the way, the last time “Fiddler On the Roof” was performed in Yiddish was 50 years ago in Israel. There are supertitles in English and Russian, but most of the time, you can follow the story without reading the translation. The authentic emotion will carry you.
Due to a completely sold out run, happily, the show has been extended through Oct. 25.
Grab the opportunity to see this stunning, truthful and emotionally raw production of “Fiddler On the Roof” before it packs up and leaves.
http://nytf.org/fiddler-on-the-roof/
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
