Notable Productions
Original Broadway Production (1964)
When Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964 it was a big success, and reviewers especially gravitated toward Zero Mostel in the role of Tevye. In a New York Times review, Howard Taurman sang Mostel’s praises. “And in Mr. Mostel’s Tevye [Fiddler on the Roof] has one of the most glowing creations in the history of musical theater.” The show ran for a record-setting 3,242 performances over the course of almost 8 years. (See the New York Times review here)
West End Production (1967)
The first West End production of Fiddler on the Roof was met with similar success to the original Broadway production. The West end version starred Chaim Tapol and played for more than 2,000 performances.
Film (1971)
The 1971 film version of Fiddler was relatively well-received by critics, who felt the nearly three -hour movie to sometimes feel a bit slow and artificial. The script was largely the same as the stage production, with a few cut songs and expanded scenes. This is likely because Joseph Stein, who wrote the original script, was also the screenwriter for the film version. Controversially, the movie starred Chaim Tapol as Tevye, rather than Zero Mostel. The director Norman Jewison later said that this casting choice was due to Zero Mostel’s larger-than-life personality, which he did not think would translate well to film.
Broadway Revival (2004)
There were a few Broadway and west end revivals after the original production, most of which did not stray very far from the visions of the original creative team. That is until 2004 when David Levenaux directed a new version, which, among some other stylistic changes, replaced the song “The Rumor” with a new number called “Topsy Turvy” written by the original writing team of Bock and Harnick. Unfortunately, this version was not well received. The acting was regarded as bland and a writer for the LA Times notoriously said that the production had “an absence of a Jewish soul.” For the Full LA Times review, click here.
Broadway Revival (2015)
The 2015 Broadway revival re-contextualized some of the ideas from the original production, which was met with some controversy. This version opens with a modern man in a red parka reading Sholem Acheim’s stories outside of what was once Anatevka. The man stands up, removes his modern jacket to reveal his traditional Jewish clothing, and transition into Tevye. The most controversial element of this new production was that of the choreography, which up until this point was largely unchanged since Jerome Robbins’s original concept. While the choreography had the same spirit as the original, some reviews found the changes to be too much. Overall, however, the production was well-received, earning it 3 Tony nominations. (Best Leading Actor, Best Revival, and Best Choreography) for a collection of reviews, click here
Off-Broadway Yiddish Production (2018)
In 2018, The National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene mounted an off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof entirely in Yiddish with English and Russian supertitles. The Yiddish version was first performed in Israel in 1965, but this production marked the American premiere of the Yiddish translation. The production was quite the success, extending its run four times. According to one reviewer, the Yiddish production provided a sense of authenticity that had is not seen in English productions, while still maintaining the spirit of the original. The production ran until January 5, 2020 (getting out just before the apocalypse) for more info on the Yiddish production click here
Other Productions
Fiddler remains hugely popular. About 500 amateur productions are produced in the US alone per year, and the show is also hugely popular internationally, especially in Japan. The Japanese popularity of the show has remained steady for more than fifty years. For more information on Fiddler’s Japanese popularity click here