Fiddler on the Roof's history starts some one-hundred and five years earlier with the birth of a man named Sholem
Rabinovich. In 1883, Rabinovich was serving as a "crown rabbi," a state appointed clerical functionary in a small Jewish
community in the Ukraine, where he published a comical account of local politics under the pseudonym, Sholem Aleichem.
Meaning literally "peace be with you," Sholem Aleichem would go on to write more stories and tales. One of his more famous
characters, Tevye, comes from a series of short stories known as, Tevye's Daughters or Tevye the Dairyman. In narrative
form, Tevye tells his tales to Sholem Aleichem himself. In his stories, Tevye discusses his seven daughters (in Fiddler, his
daughters have been streamlined to five) and their tales of growing up in Tsarist Russia. Tevye must make decisions about his
and his daughters’ futures that stray away from the teachings of his past.
The real background of these stories comes from a time of political unrest in Russia's history, between 1884 and 1917. The
assassination of Tsar Alexander II was followed by his son, Alexander III, avenging his father's death with repression. After
his death in 1894, Alexander III's son, Nicholas II, came to power where he continued his predecessor's rule, refusing any
political change, censoring the press and continued persecution of the Jews. In 1905, the protest against the current Tzar
began increasing. The peasants were in constant uproar over the redistribution of land, and the factory workers in the major
Russian cities were going on strike by the thousands. The protest lead to military opposition which, in return, lead to the
deaths of many Russian citizens.
In October 1905, the October Manifesto was presented to the Tzar, demanding civil rights and the formation of political
parties, along with other rights. After a three day period of discussion, the Tzar reluctantly signed the Manifesto. He was
quoted as saying that he felt, "sick with shame at this betrayal of the dynasty." The signing of the manifesto quickly ended all
the political uproar and striking around Russia. The Tzar and other conservatives in Russian society attacked the Jewish
community for the political unrest, the Tzar himself stating that ninety-percent of the revolutionaries were Jewish. This led to
the anti-Semitic attitudes seen towards Tevye and his family in Alecichem's tales. This attitude was prevalent in Russia and a
majority of Europe for many years and lead to the relocation of over two million Jews between 1880 and 1920.
Aleichem's stories, written in Yiddish, had become very popular over the years and began to appear around the world,
translated into many languages. And then in 1953, a man named Arnold Perl, an admirer of Aleichem's stories and those of
other Yiddish writers, started putting together a series of short plays. These plays were quite successful leading Perl in 1957,
to finally write a play about the famous milkman, Tevye, which he titled: Tevye and His Daughters. That's when Joseph
Stein, book writer for Fiddler on the Roof, came to believe that this story would work as a musical.
Stein, Jerry Bock (music), and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) had first worked together on a show called The Body Beautiful.
Though this show did not last very long, it had brought together three men who enjoyed collaborating together. They began
to search for their next project. Stein introduced Tevye and the stories of his daughters to Bock and Harnick who took to the
idea very quickly. After a first draft was completed of the show, the authors began shopping the idea to some producers.
These producers almost always, inevitably, responded with, "too ethnic."
So, for a period of time, Fiddler on the Roof was shelved. And after some successful productions (She Loves Me, Enter
Laughing), Stein, Bock, and Harnick tried again, this time gaining a director, Jerome Robbins, who had just successfully
directed West Side Story, and a new producer, Harold (Hal) Prince, who had previous producing credits with Damn Yankees,
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Pajama Game.
Fiddler on the Roof opened to tryouts in Detroit and Washingon D.C. Though successful, critics in those cities said that
Fiddler had "limited appeal." Finally, after the two initial tryouts, Fiddler moved to New York where, on September 22,
1964, it opened at the Imperial Theatre. The original cast included Zero Mostel as Tevye, Maria Karnilova as Golde, and Bea
Arthur as Yente. The reviews were quite favorable towards the show, and audiences loved it even more making Fiddler on
the Roof, for a short time, the longest running musical having played for 3,242 performances.
But, were the original reviewers right? Does Fiddler on the Roof have a limited appeal? Stein recalls the first foreign
production: "(We were) in Japan, and I went there, for the final rehearsals, with some trepidation. The Japanese producer,
after an effusive greeting, said: "Tell me, Mr. Stein, so they understand this show in America?" I was bewildered. "Why do
you ask?" "Because," he said, "it is so Japanese." I later understood what he meant. The importance of tradition of the
community, the conflict between the generations, the struggle between different cultures, the power and strength of love ...
these are Japanese themes ... these are universal themes."
Rabinovich. In 1883, Rabinovich was serving as a "crown rabbi," a state appointed clerical functionary in a small Jewish
community in the Ukraine, where he published a comical account of local politics under the pseudonym, Sholem Aleichem.
Meaning literally "peace be with you," Sholem Aleichem would go on to write more stories and tales. One of his more famous
characters, Tevye, comes from a series of short stories known as, Tevye's Daughters or Tevye the Dairyman. In narrative
form, Tevye tells his tales to Sholem Aleichem himself. In his stories, Tevye discusses his seven daughters (in Fiddler, his
daughters have been streamlined to five) and their tales of growing up in Tsarist Russia. Tevye must make decisions about his
and his daughters’ futures that stray away from the teachings of his past.
The real background of these stories comes from a time of political unrest in Russia's history, between 1884 and 1917. The
assassination of Tsar Alexander II was followed by his son, Alexander III, avenging his father's death with repression. After
his death in 1894, Alexander III's son, Nicholas II, came to power where he continued his predecessor's rule, refusing any
political change, censoring the press and continued persecution of the Jews. In 1905, the protest against the current Tzar
began increasing. The peasants were in constant uproar over the redistribution of land, and the factory workers in the major
Russian cities were going on strike by the thousands. The protest lead to military opposition which, in return, lead to the
deaths of many Russian citizens.
In October 1905, the October Manifesto was presented to the Tzar, demanding civil rights and the formation of political
parties, along with other rights. After a three day period of discussion, the Tzar reluctantly signed the Manifesto. He was
quoted as saying that he felt, "sick with shame at this betrayal of the dynasty." The signing of the manifesto quickly ended all
the political uproar and striking around Russia. The Tzar and other conservatives in Russian society attacked the Jewish
community for the political unrest, the Tzar himself stating that ninety-percent of the revolutionaries were Jewish. This led to
the anti-Semitic attitudes seen towards Tevye and his family in Alecichem's tales. This attitude was prevalent in Russia and a
majority of Europe for many years and lead to the relocation of over two million Jews between 1880 and 1920.
Aleichem's stories, written in Yiddish, had become very popular over the years and began to appear around the world,
translated into many languages. And then in 1953, a man named Arnold Perl, an admirer of Aleichem's stories and those of
other Yiddish writers, started putting together a series of short plays. These plays were quite successful leading Perl in 1957,
to finally write a play about the famous milkman, Tevye, which he titled: Tevye and His Daughters. That's when Joseph
Stein, book writer for Fiddler on the Roof, came to believe that this story would work as a musical.
Stein, Jerry Bock (music), and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) had first worked together on a show called The Body Beautiful.
Though this show did not last very long, it had brought together three men who enjoyed collaborating together. They began
to search for their next project. Stein introduced Tevye and the stories of his daughters to Bock and Harnick who took to the
idea very quickly. After a first draft was completed of the show, the authors began shopping the idea to some producers.
These producers almost always, inevitably, responded with, "too ethnic."
So, for a period of time, Fiddler on the Roof was shelved. And after some successful productions (She Loves Me, Enter
Laughing), Stein, Bock, and Harnick tried again, this time gaining a director, Jerome Robbins, who had just successfully
directed West Side Story, and a new producer, Harold (Hal) Prince, who had previous producing credits with Damn Yankees,
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Pajama Game.
Fiddler on the Roof opened to tryouts in Detroit and Washingon D.C. Though successful, critics in those cities said that
Fiddler had "limited appeal." Finally, after the two initial tryouts, Fiddler moved to New York where, on September 22,
1964, it opened at the Imperial Theatre. The original cast included Zero Mostel as Tevye, Maria Karnilova as Golde, and Bea
Arthur as Yente. The reviews were quite favorable towards the show, and audiences loved it even more making Fiddler on
the Roof, for a short time, the longest running musical having played for 3,242 performances.
But, were the original reviewers right? Does Fiddler on the Roof have a limited appeal? Stein recalls the first foreign
production: "(We were) in Japan, and I went there, for the final rehearsals, with some trepidation. The Japanese producer,
after an effusive greeting, said: "Tell me, Mr. Stein, so they understand this show in America?" I was bewildered. "Why do
you ask?" "Because," he said, "it is so Japanese." I later understood what he meant. The importance of tradition of the
community, the conflict between the generations, the struggle between different cultures, the power and strength of love ...
these are Japanese themes ... these are universal themes."
