The musical "Fiddler on the Roof": content, interesting facts, videos, history

Musical "Fiddler on the Roof"

What is a musical? This is a colorful, light and slightly ironic genre, which is very popular because of its entertainment, beautiful music and bright dance numbers. However, among the musical productions there is one performance that is quite unlike its entertainment counterparts. This musical is called "Fiddler on the Roof," having such an unusual name, it tells about the difficult life of a poor Jew and his large family. Despite the sad story, the touching life story, the national Jewish humor and beautiful music can not leave anyone indifferent and find a response in the hearts of even the most sophisticated public. All over the world this musical has received such fame that it is recognized as an international hit.

Summary

1905 In the Ukrainian village of Anatovka there lives a large family of the Jewish milkman Tevye. He is the keeper of the traditions of his ancestors, works a lot, dreams of prosperity, but is content with what he has. Tevye is the father of five beautiful daughters whom he and his wife Golda wish to marry successfully. The local matchmaker Enta comes to the house of the milkman where the preparation for Shabbat is underway and informs the mother of the girls that the widower Leiser Wolf is a well-to-do butcher, although of rather old age, wants to marry Tseitl, the elder daughter of the milkman. At this time, Tevye, spreading the milk to her clients, accidentally meets the Kiev student Perchik and invites her to live in her home in exchange for teaching his younger daughters.

After the holy Sabbath, Tevye, at the insistence of his wife, goes to Lazer Wolf and conspires with him about the upcoming wedding, and the next day she tells her eldest daughter. Tseitl is very upset, because she has long loved the tailor named Motl, and they made a mutual promise to get married. Good Tevye, who fondly loves her daughter, grumbling a little, agrees to the marriage of young people. But how to say about this wife, who was so glad to intermarry with a rich butcher? However, the resourceful Jew here finds a way out. At night, he woke his wife to tell her a terrible dream: as if the dead wife of a butcher came to him and threatened to kill Tseitl if she marries her husband. Golda, who believed very much in dreams, also agrees to pass off her eldest daughter as tailor Motl.

Wedding Zeitl and Motla. The guests' fun is overshadowed by the pogrom organized by the authorities, about which a conscript warned Tevye.

Perchik student must go to Kiev, but before that he admits Godl in his feelings, and they turn out to be mutual. The young people asked Tevye for blessings, who at first was very indignant, but then, on reflection, gave his consent. Perchik leaves, and after a while a letter arrives, stating that he was arrested and exiled to Siberia for revolutionary activities. Godl asks his father for permission to go after his beloved and gives assurances to marry with him according to Jewish custom.

Khave, the third daughter of Tevye, fell in love with a Russian guy named Fyodor. She wants to tell everything to her father, but he does not even want to listen and forbids her not only to meet, but even to think about a Gentile. Soon the milkman learns that Khava left home and married the Orthodox in his church. Tevye is very depressed: his beloved daughter has changed Judaism - the faith of her people. She has no forgiveness - Chava for him no longer exists.

Soon, Tevye and other Jewish inhabitants of Anatovka, under the king’s orders, should leave their homeland. All go where they can. Tevye with her wife and younger daughters goes to a relative in America. The elder Zeitl will live in Warsaw with her family. Khava and her husband Fedka are leaving too; they cannot accept the injustice of the authorities. At parting, Tevye forgives her recalcitrant daughter, blessing her on the road.

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• The musical "Fiddler on the Roof" was the first commercially successful performance in English, in which the main characters were East European Jews.
• Recorded on RCA Records album from the compositions of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1998 included in the Hall of Fame Grammy Awards.
• The musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1965 received nine awards from the "Tony" award, which is a kind of "Oscar" and "Grammy", but only in the field of theatrical art.
• The popularity of "Fiddler on the Roof" was so great that Canadian director Norman Jewison decided to make a film on this musical that was released in 1971. The film version, which immediately gained popularity with the audience, received mostly positive reviews from film critics and became the highest-grossing film of 1971. She was immediately nominated for an Oscar in eight nominations and won in three. In addition, as the best musical film "Fiddler on the Roof" was awarded the prize "Golden Globe".
• It is worth noting that in the film the solo part of the violin was performed by renowned musician Isaac Stern, and the adaptation of music by Jerry Boca to the film version was made by distinguished composer John Williams, who later composed music for such popular films as "Home Alone", "Jaws", "Schindler's List "," Jurassic Park "," Star Wars "," Harry Potter ".

• The musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1965 received nine awards from the "Tony" award, which is a kind of "Oscar" and "Grammy", but only in the field of theatrical art.
• The cycle of stories of the Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem about the milkman Tevye, first published in 1894, has been adapted many times in different countries for the theater stage and cinema. For example, in the Soviet Union in 1985, director S. Evlahishvili put on a television play entitled Tevye the Milkman, in which the main role was played by Mikhail Ulyanov. And in 1993, a television version of Gregory Gorin’s play “Memorial Prayer” was created, based on Sholom Aleichem’s stories about the milkman Tevye. The performance was staged by the theater. Lenin Komsomol, director Mark Zakharov, starring Yevgeny Leonov.
• The musical "Fiddler on the Roof" is so popular today that in the United States alone it has about 500 amateur performances a year.

Popular numbers:

"If I Were A Rich Man" (listen)

"Sunrise, Sunset" (listen)

History of creation

In the early sixties, new musicals appeared on stage in Broadway theaters one after another. Composer Jerry Bock and poet Sheldon Harnik, making up a creative tandem, have already become famous as authors of several famous musical performances that were very popular with the audience. In 1963, they brought to the public a new production of "She Loves Me" (She loves me) and thought about the next story, which, undoubtedly, was supposed to be not only interesting, but also unusual, able to surprise the public. The playwright Joseph Stein, who proved to be a successful author of many television and theatrical plays, came to the aid of the author’s fellowship. He suggested that Boca and Harnik turn to the works of the Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem and take it as a basis for the musical the story "Tevye the Milkman", but in the title of the play to reflect the work of another brilliant son of the Jewish nation - the artist Marc Chagall.

The first premiere of "Fiddler on the Roof" was held in Detroit, but in addition to critical reviews, she received nothing. The press noted that it was a long and interesting to no one, except, of course, the Russian Jews, a performance. However, the authors did not give up, they decided to finalize the production, inviting to their team the famous producer Harold Prince and choreographer Jerome Robbins.

New co-authors did not like something in the musical: in their opinion, there was no sense of wholeness and unity in the storyline. Trying to solve this problem, Robbins suggested connecting national numbers and the main idea of ​​the show to make national traditions. This idea became the main pillar of the construction of the whole musical, which premiered on Broadway in late September 1964.

The first Broadway production lasted on stage for about nine years. During this time, a record 3224 performances were played. However, the story of the musical is not over. It was restored many times, and the most notable were the revivals of 1976, 1981, 1990, 2004 and 2015. The London audience saw the Fiddler on the Roof for the first time in February 1967, and a lot of performances were also given: artists, as heroes of the performance, appeared on the stage more than two thousand times. The popularity of the musical forced to return to it again and again, in addition, the play with various adjustments began to be put in different parts of the globe. It was watched by viewers from Australia, France, Germany, Israel, the Soviet Union and many other countries.

It's been over fifty years since "Fiddler on the roof"- the musical legend first appeared on the Broadway stage. However, even today it is attractive to the public, as it has not lost its relevance and extraordinary charm, but also, even in difficult situations, it sets up an optimistic perception of life.