Behind a “Sabbath Prayer” for Return
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.
Related
