Fiddler on the Roof is one of those stories that is both universal and specific. The story of an everyman trying to balance family and tradition in a changing world speaks to all of us, regardless of background or location.
The new production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish is playing at the New World Stages in New York City. Directed by Joel Grey, Steven Skybell plays Teyve, the poor dairyman living in the Pale of Settlement in the early 20th century. He and his wife, Golde (Jennifer Babiak), they are raising five daughters under difficult circumstances.
Three of their five daughters are of age to marry. Tsaytl (Rachel Zatcoff), Hodl (Stephanie Lynn Mason), and Khave (Rosie Jo Neddy) marry for love instead of waiting for a husband to be presented to them. As each presents their potential spouse to their father, the thread of tradition begins to fray.
While Tevye is doing with familial issues, the outside is getting closer. Antisemitism is forcing reality all of the characters to face reality and the hard truth about their circumstances.
This production is fantastic. The fact that the characters speak in the mamaloshen (mother tongue) of Yiddish adds a level of gravity to the narrative. It is as if the audience is one step closer to the real people who called that time and place their own.
There is a moment (which I will not give away) that completely represents the message of Fiddler. It happens at the very end of the first act and as far as I know, has not been done in past productions. It is a breathtakingly horrible moment that I don’t think I will ever forget.
Seeing this adaptation in 2022 and knowing what is happening in Ukraine grounds it in a reality that I never expected. It is nothing short of a gut punch.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish is playing at the New World Stages in New York City until January 1st, 2023. Check the website for tickets and showtimes.
Fiddler on the Roof is one of those movies that we all know. Even if we have never seen the film or the various stage adaptations, the songs and the story are iconic in their own right.
In addition to interviews with the actors, the audience also is taken behind the scenes by director Norman Jewison (who despite his surname is not a member of the tribe) and musical director John Williams. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, this is a love letter to a beloved narrative and characters who transcend time, culture, and religion.
I loved this movie. It was everything I could have wanted and more. The making of the original film was a labor of love for all involved. Told with authenticity, heart, and nothing but love, this documentary is nothing short of perfection.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely. I would even go as far as to say that this is one of my favorite movies of the year so far.
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen is currently playing in theaters.
This will be my last character review post for Fiddler On The Roof. The next story/group of characters I will be writing about is……I’m not telling you. You will just have to come back to this blog and find out.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Prejudice is unfortunately part and parcel of our daily lives. But even with the hatred and prejudice, there are still some that see the person, not the label based on culture or religion. In Fiddler On The Roof, most of the major characters are Jewish. There are a handful of non-Jewish characters, but for the most part, they are background players.
Except for Fyedka.
Fyedka is a young man of the Christian faith who falls in love with Chava, Tevye and Golde’s middle daughter. She is equally in love with him. But a marriage between a Jew and Christian, especially in pre-revolutionary Russia was a big no-no. Unlike his compatriots, Fyedka does not harass his Jewish neighbors. He is open-minded and treats them with courtesy and respect.
To sum it up: Sometimes a writer has to break the mold when creating a character. Fyedka could have been a stereotype, a Russian Christian peasant who hates his Jewish neighbors because they are Jews. But because he is compassionate, respectful and open-minded, he is proof that tolerance, understanding and dialogue between people of different cultures and religions is possible. The reader and the writer just has to be willing to take the first step.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
These days, it’s not uncommon to date or marry outside of one’s culture or religion. But we don’t have to travel back too far in history to a time when the worst thing a person could do was choose a spouse who was not part of their religion or culture. In Fiddler On The Roof, Chava is the third of Tevye and Golde’s five daughters. While her older sisters take baby steps when it comes to choosing their spouses, Chava takes a giant leap above her sisters. Not only does she marry a Christian boy, Fyedka, without her parent’s knowledge or approval, but also converts away from Judaism in the process.
Her father reacts as one would expect him to react. He pushes her away while she pleads for his blessing. In the end, Chava receives her father’s blessing for her marriage, if only reluctantly.
To sum it up: Some characters take baby steps toward who they will be. Others take giant steps toward that future persona. Neither is right or wrong, it is determined by the narrative and character arc. What the writer has to do is make sure that the arc for that particular character is organic and natural. If the character’s journey feels forced and inorganic, the reader/audience will know it. The last thing any writer wants is for their narrative and characters to feel forced and inorganic, it is a surefire way to push away the audience or reader. That is the last thing any writer wants.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Revolutions are usually not started by the elder generation who are sometimes content to rest on their laurels and let life go on. Revolutions are usually started by young people who are idealistic, angry and willing to use their voice to fight against what they feel is an injustice. These young people are also the ones who are trying to shake the dust of off their elders and show them that the world is changing.
In Fiddler On The Roof, the idea of revolution is represented by the character of Perchik. Perchik is a young man who has come to Anatevka to shake the denizens out of their doldrums. Idealistic, modern and outspoken, Perchik does not exactly get along with his new neighbors, but Tevye is willing to give Perchik a chance. Perchik starts tutoring Tevye’s youngest daughters and starts on a Beatrice and Benedick relationship with Hodel, Tevye’s second eldest daughter.
Eventually Perchik gets up the courage to propose to Hodel, even though is not the most conventional of proposals. But before they can wed, Perchik is caught up in trouble and is sent to Siberia.
To sum it up: one way to see change in a character or a narrative is to introduce the idea of revolution, whether it is social, cultural or financial. The writers wisely used Perchik to represent the wider revolution that would engulf the world in Fiddler On The Roof as a whole. For a writer, it is more about how he or she uses change rather than just the act of the change itself. The change will happen, it is just a matter of how the writer enacts the change that affects the outcome of the whole story, not just the character who represents the change.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
There is only one certainty in life: change. In Fiddler On The Roof, Hodel is the second of Tevye and Golde’s five daughters. In the beginning of the story, Hodel states her choice of her future husband: the Rabbi’s son. Her elder sister, Tzeitel is quick to burst her bubble. Their father is a dairyman. Daughters of dairymen do not marry Rabbi’s sons. Being the smart ass that she, Hodel laughs it off.
Then Perchik enters the picture. Perchik is a young man traveling through Anatevka who has ideas that do not mesh well with the locals. While tutoring Hodel’s younger sisters, it becomes clear that there is chemistry between her and Perchik. But when the time comes, Hodel will have to make a decision: stay with her family or follow Perchik into the unknown.
To sum it up: In choosing to join Perchik in Siberia instead of staying in Anatevka, Hodel is willing to accept change. Even if it means that she may never see her family again. Change often comes whether we like it or not. As writers, when we create a character who is faced with change, how the character deals with the change is a mark of their character. It’s up to the writer to determine if the character will accept the change or fight it.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Any writer worth their salt will tell you that one of the basic elements of a story is a character arc. The character starts off in one place and ends in another place. One of the under used common character arcs is that of a character who find the confidence to speak up for himself or herself and while doing so, makes their dream a reality.
In Fiddler On The Roof, the audience is introduced to Motel as Tzeitel’s childhood playmate and hopeful intended. The problem is that he is a poor tailor and Tzeitel’s parents have chosen a husband for their daughter who is higher on the social and economic scale. The problem is that every time he tries to ask Tevye for his blessing, he bumbles it up. Motel, to put it bluntly, in the beginning of the story needs to grow a backbone.
He does so, by finally asking Tevye to break tradition by asking for his blessing to marry Tzeitel. It’s not easy, especially considering the strict rules of the era and the fact that he is quite terrified of Tevye when we meet him initially. But he does so, in spite of the fear and receives the blessing he has hoped for.
To sum it up: Motel’s journey reminds me of one of my favorite Carrie Fisher quotes:
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
Motel’s journey feels very human. Sometimes the one thing we need to succeed when taking a risk is confidence, even if we don’t feel we have it. Motel takes the risk, knowing that Tevye could easily say no and force his daughter to marry the much older and wealthier butcher. But Tevye says yes and Motel’s risk pays off. In life as in fiction, taking a risk and having the confidence to do so is never easy. The outcome of the risk is not guaranteed. But we’ll never know until we try.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Love, especially young love, creates new sensations and a new reality. Especially when one lives in a repressive society where marriage is not based on love, but on family status and income. In Fiddler On The Roof, Tzeitel is the oldest of Tevye and Golde’s five daughters. She knows that marriage is in the cards for her immediate future. She also knows that in her world, she has no say in choosing her husband.
The husband that has been chosen for her is Lazar Wolf, the local butcher. The problem with Lazar is two-fold: first, that he is much older than she is. The second is that she is in love and has agreed to marry Motel, her childhood sweetheart. Her father does not know about Motel and might force her to marry Lazar instead of Motel.
In the end, Tzeitel marries the man she loves, but not before experiencing a few obstacles.
To sum it up: A young woman in love is not a new character trope or narrative. It is up to the writer to distinguish this very basic character and narrative in order for their story to stand out. In Fiddler on the Roof, Tzeitel is willing to break tradition just to marry the man she loves. In her era, women are second class citizens. The only career open to them is marriage and motherhood. By standing up for her love and her future, Tzeitel is taking a small, but important step toward feminism and female autonomy.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Some say that men are the rulers in their homes, the kings of their very own castle. As much as I would like to believe it, that is in fact a lie. The reality is that the woman is in charge of the house and the family.
“The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants”-My Big Fat Greek Wedding
In Fiddler On The Roof, Tevye thinks he is in charge at home. His wife, Golde, knows the truth. Golde is the ying to her husband’s yang. Golde is a realist, not afraid to tell it like it is and occasionally burst Teyve’s fantasy like bubble. Her husband is a dairy man whose income is on the lower end of the economic scale. Considering that they have five daughters to house, cloth, raise and feed, Golde’s position is not an easy one.
Like all couples in that culture, their marriage was not a love match, but an arraigned marriage. While there is no fairy tale like romance between Tevye and Golde, they remain loyal to each other and do the best they can to keep their family afloat.
To sum it: Golde is no one’s fool and no one’s pushover. She is smart, capable and does what she needs to do so her family can survive, even under the most difficult of circumstances. When a writer creates a character like Golde, he or she is walking a writing tightrope: the character must be firmly rooted in the world she lives in, while creating an undercurrent which will shape the destines of future generations. Golde may appear to be just another wife and mother, but it is her strength and courage that will inspire future generations of women to change the world.
Writergurlny 
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