NYTimes.com: “Fiddler on the Roof” — created by Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics), Joseph Stein (book) and Jerome Robbins (direction and choreography) and based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem — was a blockbuster success when it opened in 1964, smashing all box office records in its day. The initial production played 3,242 performances, the longest-running show on Broadway for years. There have been four Broadway revivals and countless national tours; some 200 schools across the country put it on each year.
3 comments:
I have a very weird relationship with "Fiddler On the Roof." Personally, I think the show is over done. The main problem that I have with the show is that there is very little room for creativity. Unfortunately this makes every production look exactly the same as the one before it. However, when someone does add something new and creative it tends to be too flashy, and take away from the story of the play. This tends to happen with high school productions. Nevertheless, I feel that the play itself is very powerful and can be spectacular, but most productions just miss the mark.
This was a very compelling article. It was not only intriguing to read about the countless list of things that all make 'Fiddler' so widely known and performed. It was also interesting to read about how the early decisions made for the first production of 'Fiddler' continue to impact the way we think about the play's place in the theatre industry. This article truly shows how the earliest productions of a play can impact every production that will come after it. For example, I am sure the type of actor that was selected to play the first Tevye has informed casting directors of later productions. 'Fiddler' is a play that is extremely popular and has had countless productions. It is important to look back at a popular play's history to determine exactly why that play is so successful.
I really like Fiddler on the Roof. Many of the new musicals are cheesy, they don't have any plot and the music is so so at best
Fiddler on the roof is has an amazing combination of strong and emotional story, rounded and interesting characters and the most beautiful songs with smart lyrics.
There has been a wonderful (and actually quite funny) production of Fiddler on the Roof running in Israel for the last couple of years. They just keep it going because it has been such a success.
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