Joseph Stein, 1912-2010

Tony-winner Joseph Stein, who wrote the book for Fiddler on the Roof as well as many other Broadway musicals, died Sunday in New York at age 98.

As I've mentioned before, I have an unusual history with his most famous work. I saw Fiddler on the Roof for the first time in Israel, in Hebrew, with Chaim Topol as Tevye.

In fact at the time, in 1998, I think I might have been the only Jewish person who'd never even seen the movie, for which Stein wrote the screenplay. (Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration.)

I was always kind of dismissive, believing (wrongly, I admit) that it would be schmalzy, romanticizing the harsh life of Jews who lived in the shtetls of Eastern Europe.

Of course I ended up loving my first experience with Fiddler on the Roof. I knew enough of the plot to follow what was happening, even if I didn't get all the jokes. And I recognized the melodies - even if I didn't understand all the words. It was so poignant that I remember being in tears at the end.

But the richness of the characters and the warmth and humor in Stein's portrait of Jewish life, based on the stories by Sholem Aleichem, didn't truly come through until I saw it on stage a second time - in English - in 2009.

As Tevye would say, may his memory be blessed.

Update: Fiddler on the Roof's composer, Jerry Bock, passed away Nov. 3 at age 81. He wrote the music for many other shows, including another of my favorites, She Loves Me.

If you're interested in what Bock and Sheldon Harnick's songs sound like in Hebrew, here's a medley from a 2008 production by Tel Aviv's Cameri Theatre:

Broadway in Boston 2009-2010

Broadway Across America finally released its Boston lineup for 2009-2010 this week. There are a few shows I really want to see that we're not getting in Providence, (which isn't part of BAA) including August: Osage County.

(But we are getting Xanadu in Providence, so life's a tradeoff. Sometime I would like to find out how these things work, how the producers decide which shows to put in which cities. For example, why is Little House on the Prairie bypassing the Northeast, except for the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey?)

Also coming to Boston are the national tours of In the Heights and Dreamgirls. They're both arriving in the winter, so let's hope it's a mild one.

I really enjoyed In the Heights on Broadway, the 2008 Tony winner for Best Musical. The story, set in a Latino neighborhood in New York City, is a joyous reminder of the vitality that immigrants bring to this country, along with their hopes and dreams. And it's got great music and choreography, too. In the Heights plays at the Opera House Jan. 12-24.

I've only seen the movie Dreamgirls, so I'm very interested in catching the stage version that tells the story of a Supremes-like singing group. The national tour is being launched at the Apollo Theater in November. Dreamgirls is playing at the Colonial Theatre Feb. 2-14.

Luckily, I won't have to worry about the weather by the time August: Osage County comes to the Colonial, from May 4-16. As I mentioned the other day, I only had a chance to see it once in New York so I'm looking forward to a return visit with the dysfunctional Weston family.

I can also recommend Fiddler on the Roof, which is coming to the Opera House from Nov. 3-15. It was a thrill to see the musical in Providence last February, with 73-year-old Chaim Topol as Tevye. Apparently his farewell tour is quite extensive. And he should keep doing it as long as he can - he's still terrific in the role.

There is one other musical coming to Boston that I'm kind of curious about: Cats, which will be at the Colonial April 13-18. I've never seen it and, truth be told, while I like cats I'm really much more of a dog person. If they ever make a musical called Dogs, I will be there.

Still, I'm kind of curious about a show that played 18 years on Broadway. And according to the Web site: "There's no better way to introduce your family to the wonders of live theater than with the magic, the mystery, the memory of CATS."

Fiddler on the Roof

Gratuitous Violins rating: ***1/2 out of ****

I didn't come to Fiddler on the Roof in the traditional way: watching the movie or seeing a production in my native language. I first saw it performed in Hebrew in 1998 when I lived in Israel, then I saw the movie and now, 11 years later, I've finally seen the musical on stage in English.

What did I miss the first time around? The humor, mainly. Fiddler on the Roof is a lot funnier than I realized. Even with my limited Hebrew, the poignancy came through and I recognized the songs and the dances didn't need a translation. But if you're seeing a show for the first time in a foreign language, it's hard to get the jokes.

All three of my experiences have one thing in common: Chaim Topol as Tevye, the pious Jewish milkman eking out a living with his wife and five daughters in the village of Anatevka in czarist Russia in 1905. The current tour is billed as the Israeli actor's farewell after 40 years of playing this iconic role.

Topol, at age 73, is terrific and wonderfully expressive: singing, dancing, joking, conniving, arguing, beseeching the almighty. He embodies Tevye so completely - his faith, his love for his family, his wry sense of humor, his bewilderment at a changing world. Really, I can't imagine anyone doing it better.

While Topol is clearly the performer the audience has come to see, Tevye never overwhelms the musical. I think part of the strength of Fiddler on the Roof is that it's much more than a one-man band. It's truly an ensemble.

Joseph Stein's book, based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, is rich in memorable characters. Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick spread around their songs with lyrics and melodies so beautiful they bring tears to your eyes. (Just think about the first few lines of "Sunrise, Sunset.") Jerome Robbins' choreography, reproduced by Sammy Dallas Bayes, is thrilling and it's so well-integrated into the story and music. Together, they evoke the vanished world of Eastern European Jews.

One of the things I love about Fiddler on the Roof is the way we're given the time to get to know these characters as Tevye tries to find husbands for his three oldest daughters. My only quibble is that we get a little more time to watch the first two relationships unfold. By the time we get to the third, and most monumental, it seems to happen rather quickly.

Rena Strober, Jamie Davis and Alison Walla are wonderful as daughters Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava. They're so spirited, so determined to marry for love. I really enjoyed watching the three of them in "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" as they dream of getting married while preparing for the Sabbath. And Davis has a voice that soars in "Far From the Home I Love."

Erik Liberman made a very sweet and timid Motel the tailor and Colby Foytik was great as Perchik, the idealistic student and would-be revolutionary who challenges the Jews of Anatevka to rethink their traditions. Susan Cella was a nice counterpoint to Tevye as his exasperated and long-suffering wife, Golde. Mary Stout as Yente the matchmaker and Bill Nolte as Lazar Wolf the butcher both had nice comic turns.

For years I was reluctant to see Fiddler on the Roof because I was afraid that it would romanticize the poverty-stricken and precarious lives of Russian Jews. But even the sentimental parts - like the lighting of Sabbath candles - were staged in a way that I found incredibly moving.

And the musical doesn't present an all-rosy picture. We get the moments of heartbreak as well as joy. There's no glossing over anti-Semitism. There's also no glossing over the rigid piety and resistance to change among some of the Jews of Anatevka.

Tevye is trying to hold onto the traditions that have sustained the Jewish people for centuries in the face of exile and persecution. He says, "because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do."

Now, those traditions are being questioned and his daughters are pulling away from him in ways that are unfamiliar, heartbreaking even. His response doesn't always make him a very sympathetic character but in the inspired performance of Chaim Topol, it does make him very human.

L'chaim!

This ad from an Israeli newspaper says (reading from right to left): Topol, in his biggest role ever, like Broadway, like London. Kinar al ha gag - Fiddler on the Roof.

I've mentioned before that my introduction to Fiddler on the Roof was seeing it in Tel Aviv, in Hebrew, in 1998, with Chaim Topol playing Tevye. At the time, I'd never even watched the movie.

Today, I'll see this classic musical on stage again, this time in English. And once again with Topol, who is beginning a nationwide farewell tour in the role.

Not many people can say they've seen the same actor play the same role in two different languages - much less on two different continents and in two different centuries. L'chaim!

Everyone wants to be a fiddler

So I was reading the reviews at Critic-o-Meter for Leah's Train. I was kind of curious because I knew it was a play about Russian and American Jews performed by the National Asian American Theatre Company. I wish I could see it - I think this kind of cross-cultural experience can be really interesting.

And actually, I guess it's not so unusual. I couldn't find a list of all the countries where Fiddler on the Roof has been performed, but I'm sure the musical has been done in many different languages since its Broadway debut in 1964. And I'm sure it's been done mostly by people with no connection to Jewish culture. Hey, that's why it's called acting.

Since I'm going to see the national tour of Fiddler this weekend, I thought I'd check up on other productions. The list at Music Theatre International is made up mostly of high schools from around the United States.

I noticed that a lot of Christian high schools do the show, which tells the story of a Jewish village in czarist Russia. Lots of schools like to do musicals and this one is well-known, with a big cast. Plus, I'm sure the plot, centering on people of deep religious faith trying to hang onto their traditions, is very appealing.

And the range of schools is pretty amazing, too, from the very preppy Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire to Inuksuk High School in in the far northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. Now those would be two very interesting shows to see back to back.

Like the description on the MITI Web site says, "Its universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness."

Taking my shows on the road

I've been eagerly anticipating the announcement of next season's shows at the Providence Performing Arts Center. I knew it would be my first chance to see on tour some of the musicals I've loved on Broadway, and be able to compare the two. But of all the musicals in all the world why oh why does it have to be Legally Blonde that opens its national tour in Providence in September?

I saw Legally Blonde on MTV last fall and I was underwhelmed. I liked the catchy opening number: "Omigod You Guys," but the rest of it I thought was nothing special. Reese Witherspoon's personality was a large part of what made the 2001 movie work for me, and while Laura Bell Bundy was good, I didn't find her nearly as perky, witty and engaging.

Plus, I'd read about the offensive nature of the "is he gay or European?" courtroom scene and when I finally saw it, well it was cringe-worthy. (You know, before Broadway lyricists or Jay Leno start making gay people the butt of their jokes, I wish they'd substitute blacks or Jews or any other group of people and see whether it's still funny.)

Ok, lets see what's up next: Grease. Well, it is coming in early December, and if I don't have anything else to do that Sunday afternoon, I'll consider going. Or maybe not. The lukewarm to negative reviews of the current Broadway revival haven't inspired me to see it, even if it is playing to 98 percent capacity at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. I've seen the movie, and that's probably enough.

But don't shed any tears for me yet - things are looking up in early 2009 when Fiddler on the Roof, A Chorus Line, Spring Awakening and The Color Purple will stop by in February, March, April and May. I love the music and the stories of all four shows and I definitely recommend them.

In fact, A Chorus Line was the first Broadway musical I ever saw on stage. It was in Boston, probably in the fall of 1977, although I'm a little hazy on the date. A few months ago, I listened to the Broadway cast CD for the first time in a long time, and I'd forgotten how genuinely moving it was to hear these dancers tell their stories and talk about their dreams. I'm really looking forward to seeing the show again.

And I will actually get to see Fiddler on stage in English with Chaim Topol as Tevye, the same actor I saw in the role in Tel Aviv in Hebrew in 1998. I'll be able to say that I've seen an actor play the same role in two different countries, in two different languages on two different continents in two different centuries. How cool is that!

It's fitting that The Color Purple is coming right afterward. Ever since I saw it last summer I've thought about how it compares with Fiddler. Both are stories of close-knit, deeply religious communities that endure oppression and must face a hostile outside world. It's the kind of musical that can be difficult to watch at times - it deals unflinchingly with issues of domestic violence and racism. But the story of an unloved and abused girl's transformation to a self-confident, successful woman is such a heartfelt journey. I'd encourage everyone to see it.

And Spring Awakening, wow! I love the rock 'n' roll score, the imaginative staging of numbers like "The Bitch of Living." The story, about teenage anxiety and burgeoning sexuality in 19th century Germany, was a little predictable, but I have to tell you, I was crying at the end. Its youthful cast demonstrated incredible energy. This is the one show I can say that I saw with it's original Broadway cast. I'll be waiting to see if I feel the same way about it on tour. I wonder whether they'll have on-stage seating?

Other shows that I'm looking forward to next season include a musical version of the sitcom Happy Days, in January, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in March. I loved the 1968 movie of CCBB as a kid. The stage version was launched in London in 2002 and opened on Broadway in 2005, where it only played for 285 performances. And I know Happy Days so well from the television show that aired from 1974 to 1984. The musical, with songs by Paul Williams, had a run last fall at New Jersey's Papermill Playhouse.

Fit as a fiddler

Thanks to BroadwayBaby, who left a comment on the post I wrote about seeing Fiddler on the Roof in Israel, I've learned that there's a U.S. tour of the musical planned for 2008-09.

Incredibly, it will star Chaim Topol as Tevye, the actor I saw on stage 10 years ago in Tel Aviv. Topol, who will turn 72 in September, previously played the role in London, in the 1971 movie version and in the 1990-91 Broadway revival, as well as many other locations around the world.

The Fiddler tour is being put together by Maryland-based Troika Entertainment, but I can't find a national itinerary. I have pieced together a few of the stops for 2009: Pittsburgh's Benedum Center Feb. 17-22; the Performing Arts Center in Durham, N.C., March 17-22; the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center April 28-May 3; the San Diego Civic Theatre July 14-19.

Coincidentally, some of these same venues will also play host to the national tour of Rent in 2009, featuring Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal as Mark and Roger. Like Topol, they'll also be reprising their roles from the Broadway and movie versions of a hit musical.

I'm hoping Fiddler on the Roof will come somewhere closer to me. Since my Hebrew is far from fluent, I missed a lot the first time. It would be great to see the show again - this time in English. And I'll be able to say that I've seen an actor perform the same role in two different languages. How cool is that!

Masoret, Masoret!

I read a story in The Forward last week about a production of Fiddler on the Roof in New Delhi, India, a place where there are very few Jews, and very little familiarity with Jewish culture or history.

But despite those barriers, and the difficulty of translating the songs into Hindi, the musical still resonated with the audience. “The character is so universal, he could be an Indian for all that it matters,” Rakesh Gupta, who played Tevye, told writer Ben Frumin. “It’s a very Indian thing,” Gupta said. “The problems being faced by Tevye, the problems being faced by the family about traditions, these challenges are faced by all people, all families. It sounded very familiar.”

The story about Fiddler on the Roof in India resonated with me because 10 years ago last month I saw the show for the first and so far only time, in Tel Aviv, in Hebrew, with Israeli actor Chaim Topol in the role of Tevye the milkman.

Topol has had quite a career with Tevye. He starred in the role in London's West End in 1967, then was nominated for an Oscar for the 1971 film version, and 20 years later, received a Tony nomination for the Broadway revival. (Topol is pictured at top, from a 2005 production in Sydney, Australia.

When I say I'd never seen Fiddler on the Roof before I saw it in Israel, I mean never. I'd never even seen the movie. (Yes, I know, you're shocked. I was probably the only Jewish person who'd never seen it). In fact, I was proud of my ignorance. I guess I was under the mistaken impression that the story of Tevye and his family romanticized the harsh lives of Jews in Czarist Russia in the early 20th century. I didn't want any part of it.

I've always joked that living in Israel was like being in an alternate universe. Saturday is the weekend and Sunday is a regular workday. Hebrew is written from right to left, instead of left to right. And in Israel, my natural resistance to Fiddler on the Roof evaporated. Even though I wasn't a regular theatergoer, as soon as I saw an ad for the show in the newspaper, I wanted to go see it.

Granted, I couldn't understand most it, although I picked out words and phrases and bits of dialogue. You have no idea how quickly people speak in their native language. Luckily, I went with two friends, both more fluent in Hebrew than I was. They sat on either side of me and would occasionally whisper key plot points. (If any children are reading this, I'm not condoning our behavior. I don't think we disturbed anyone, but I certainly wouldn't do it today.)

And I'm not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about Fiddler all those years. I loved it. It was a thrilling experience. I was in tears at the end, when Tevye's daughters go their separate ways and the Jews are forced by the Russian authorities to leave their homes in Anatevka. And masoret, masoret! (Hebrew for tradition) was ringing in my head for days afterward. There is one difference between the Hebrew and English versions. Instead of "If I Were A Rich Man," Tevye sings "If I Were A Rothschild."

I think the connection I felt was similar to Steve on Broadway's experiences watching Wicked in Germany and Japan. The essence came through, even if I couldn't understand every word. I just wish I'd had the same level of familiarity with Fiddler that Steve had with Wicked. It definitely would have helped.

I knew enough of the plot and I'd heard enough of the songs over the years that Fiddler on the Roof wasn't entirely unfamiliar. And certainly, I knew the history behind the story. But about six months later, when I finally saw the movie, I realized how much I'd missed. I missed some of the subtleties, some of the funnier parts.

I'm sure there are some musicals I wouldn't want to watch in a foreign language. Believe me, it can be pretty difficult to sit for two hours listening to words you don't understand. But if you have an inkling of the story, if you've seen the show in English, it's a pretty interesting experience.

Sure, seeing Fiddler on the Roof in Israel, with an overwhelmingly Jewish audience, helped cement the connection. When you're in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is only an hour away, when you see some of the Israeli soldiers who keep you safe on a daily basis in the audience, you realize how different your world is from Anatevka. It made the experience very powerful.

In any language, the music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, along with Joseph Stein's book, are truly memorable. The themes, of a close-knit, devout community fighting oppressive outside forces, of a family's struggle to maintain its traditions, of the sometimes rocky relationship between parents and children, are universal. When I saw The Color Purple on Broadway last summer, it reminded me a little of Fiddler on the Roof.

Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964 and played for 3,242 performances. When it closed in 1972, it was the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Alisa Solomon, a professor at Columbia University who's writing a book about Fiddler on the Roof, tells the Forward that there have been "thousands of productions in dozens of languages." Here' s a sample of Fiddlers from around the world.