I heard that Fiddler on the Roof is the most widely-produced musical in the world. When I was rehearsing for “Fiddler” on Broadway in 2015, Sheldon Harnick, the show’s lyricist, told us a story about a trip the creative team took to see the show’s first production in Japan in 1968. The Japanese producer asked them something to the effect of, “How is it that you were so able to capture a story that is so essentially Japanese?” And that’s the thing with “Fiddler.” While it is – of course – a Jewish story, it really is something deeply universal.
So, in 2020, when theaters around the world were shut down, I realized that many, many show-folk reeling from the lockdown were very likely involved in a production of “Fiddler” somewhere. Now, as Broadway and theaters around the world begin to reopen, with so very much at stake, I thought this could be a meaningful moment to gather cast members from all around the globe to unite in a multilingual moment of musical prayer from the show. So, on this Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, here we are. I hope you enjoy this video.
About the author
Adam Kantor
Grammy and Emmy Award-Winning Broadway Actor
Adam Kantor won a Grammy and an Emmy Award for his performance in the Tony-winning Broadway production of THE BAND’S VISIT, in which he played Telephone Guy. Also on Broadway, Adam starred in RENT as Mark Cohen (final Broadway cast) and NEXT TO NORMAL as Henry, as well as in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as Motel Kamzoil. Off-Broadway he recently received an Outer Critics Circle honor for his performance as Harry in DARLING GRENADINE at the Roundabout Theatre. Prior to that, he played Jamie Wellerstein in the Second Stage revival of Jason Robert Brown’s THE LAST FIVE YEARS. He also played Princeton/Rod in AVENUE Q at New World Stages, and Eddie in Barry Levinson and Sheryl Crow’s DINER at the Signature Theatre. On TV he was in Billions on Showtime in the role of Pununzio, and The Good Wife on CBS in the role of Ezra. He recently starred in the feature film Either Side Of Midnight, directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Adam has headlined at Carnegie Hall, leading concerts with the NY Pops. Along with Brian Bordainick (founder of Dinner Lab) and Benj Pasek (songwriter of LaLa Land and Dear Evan Hansen), Adam co-founded StoryCourse which creates interactive immersive dining experiences. Adam produces and writes their events, including the digital special Saturday Night Seder, a star-studded virtual Passover which went viral and raised over $3.5M for The CDC Foundation. Adam is a graduate of Northwestern University and the British American Dramatic Academy. @AdamJKantor on Instagram & Twitter.
