Fiddler on the Roof
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:22:41 PM Wikipedia source
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on "Tevye the Dairyman" and other short stories by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, a milkman in the fictional village of Anatevka, who attempts to maintain his Jewish traditions as outside influences encroach upon his family's lives. He must cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters who wish to marry for love; their choices of husbands are successively less palatable for Tevye. An edict of the tsar eventually evicts the Jews from their village. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It won nine Tony Awards, including best musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned five Broadway revivals and a highly successful 1971 film adaptation and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. It has also been a popular choice for school and community productions.
Infobox
Music
Jerry Bock
Lyrics
Sheldon Harnick
Book
Joseph Stein
Basis
Tevye the Dairyman by Sholem Aleichem
Productions
1964 Broadway 1967 West End 1976 Broadway revival 1981 Broadway revival 1983 West End revival 1990 Broadway revival 1994 West End revival 2003 UK tour 2004 Broadway revival 2007 West End revival 2008 UK tour 2009 US tour 2015 Broadway revival 2018 US tour 2019 West End revival
Awards
1965 Tony Award for Best Musical 1965 Tony Award for Best Score 1965 Tony Award for Best Book 1991 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical 2020 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival 2025 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival
Tables
· Casts
Tevye
Tevye
Role
Tevye
Broadway (1964)
Zero Mostel
West End (1967)
Chaim Topol
1976 Broadway Revival
Zero Mostel
1981 Broadway Revival
Herschel Bernardi
1983 West End Revival
Chaim Topol
1990 Broadway Revival
Alfred Molina
1994 West End Revival
Henry Goodman
2004 Broadway Revival
Danny Burstein
2007 West End Revival
Andy Nyman
Golde
Golde
Role
Golde
Broadway (1964)
Maria Karnilova
West End (1967)
Miriam Karlin
1976 Broadway Revival
Thelma Lee
1981 Broadway Revival
Maria Karnilova
1983 West End Revival
Thelma Ruby
1990 Broadway Revival
Marcia Lewis
1994 West End Revival
Sara Kestelman
2004 Broadway Revival
Randy Graff
2007 West End Revival
Beverley Klein
2015 Broadway Revival
Jessica Hecht
2019 West End Revival
Judy Kuhn
Tzeitel
Tzeitel
Role
Tzeitel
Broadway (1964)
Joanna Merlin
West End (1967)
Rosemary Nicols
1976 Broadway Revival
Elizabeth Hale
1981 Broadway Revival
Lori Ada Jaroslow
1983 West End Revival
Jane Gurnett
1990 Broadway Revival
Sharon Lawrence
1994 West End Revival
Jacquelyn Yorke
2004 Broadway Revival
Sally Murphy
2007 West End Revival
Frances Thoburn
2015 Broadway Revival
Alexandra Silber
2019 West End Revival
Molly Osborne
Hodel
Hodel
Role
Hodel
Broadway (1964)
Julia Migenes
West End (1967)
Linda Gardner
1976 Broadway Revival
Christopher Callan
1981 Broadway Revival
Donalyn Petrucci
1983 West End Revival
Andrea Levine
1990 Broadway Revival
Tia Riebling
1994 West End Revival
Jo John
2004 Broadway Revival
Laura Michelle Kelly
2007 West End Revival
Alexandra Silber
2015 Broadway Revival
Samantha Massell
2019 West End Revival
Harriet Bunton
Chava
Chava
Role
Chava
Broadway (1964)
Tanya Evertt
West End (1967)
Caryl Little
1976 Broadway Revival
Nancy Tomkins
1981 Broadway Revival
Liz Larsen
1983 West End Revival
Lisa Jacobs
1990 Broadway Revival
Jennifer Prescott
1994 West End Revival
Adi Topol-Margalith
2004 Broadway Revival
Tricia Paoluccio
2007 West End Revival
Natasha Broomfield
2015 Broadway Revival
Melanie Moore
2019 West End Revival
Nicola Brown
Motel Kamzoil
Motel Kamzoil
Role
Motel Kamzoil
Broadway (1964)
Austin Pendleton
West End (1967)
Jonathan Lynn
1976 Broadway Revival
Irwin Pearl
1981 Broadway Revival
Michelan Sisti
1983 West End Revival
Peter Whitman
1990 Broadway Revival
Jack Kenny
1994 West End Revival
Neil Rutherford
2004 Broadway Revival
John Cariani
2007 West End Revival
Gareth Kennerley
2015 Broadway Revival
Adam Kantor
2019 West End Revival
Joshua Gannon
Perchik
Perchik
Role
Perchik
Broadway (1964)
Bert Convy
West End (1967)
Sandor Elès
1976 Broadway Revival
Jeff Keller
1981 Broadway Revival
James Werner
1983 West End Revival
Steven Mann
1990 Broadway Revival
Gary Schwartz
1994 West End Revival
Peter Darling
2004 Broadway Revival
Robert Petkoff
2007 West End Revival
Damian Humbley
2015 Broadway Revival
Ben Rappaport
2019 West End Revival
Stewart Clarke
Fyedka
Fyedka
Role
Fyedka
Broadway (1964)
Joe Ponazecki
West End (1967)
Tim Goodman
1976 Broadway Revival
Rick Friesen
1981 Broadway Revival
Joel Robertson
1983 West End Revival
Christopher Snell
1990 Broadway Revival
Ron Bohmer
1994 West End Revival
Kieran Creggan
2004 Broadway Revival
David Ayers
2007 West End Revival
Michael Conway
2015 Broadway Revival
Nick Rehberger
2019 West End Revival
Matthew Hawksley
Lazar Wolf
Lazar Wolf
Role
Lazar Wolf
Broadway (1964)
Michael Granger
West End (1967)
Paul Whitsun-Jones
1976 Broadway Revival
Paul Lipson
1981 Broadway Revival
David Jackson
1983 West End Revival
Mark Zeller
1990 Broadway Revival
David Bacon
1994 West End Revival
David Wohl
2004 Broadway Revival
Victor McGuire
2007 West End Revival
Adam Dannheisser
2015 Broadway Revival
Dermot Canavan
Yente
Yente
Role
Yente
Broadway (1964)
Beatrice Arthur
West End (1967)
Cynthia Grenville
1976 Broadway Revival
Ruth Jaroslow
1981 Broadway Revival
Maria Charles
1983 West End Revival
Ruth Jaroslow
1990 Broadway Revival
Margaret Robertson
1994 West End Revival
Nancy Opel
2004 Broadway Revival
Julie Legrand
2007 West End Revival
Alix Korey
2015 Broadway Revival
Louise Gold
| Role | Broadway (1964) | West End (1967) | 1976 Broadway Revival | 1981 Broadway Revival | 1983 West End Revival | 1990 Broadway Revival | 1994 West End Revival | 2004 Broadway Revival | 2007 West End Revival | 2015 Broadway Revival | 2019 West End Revival |
| Tevye | Zero Mostel | Chaim Topol | Zero Mostel | Herschel Bernardi | Chaim Topol | Alfred Molina | Henry Goodman | Danny Burstein | Andy Nyman | ||
| Golde | Maria Karnilova | Miriam Karlin | Thelma Lee | Maria Karnilova | Thelma Ruby | Marcia Lewis | Sara Kestelman | Randy Graff | Beverley Klein | Jessica Hecht | Judy Kuhn |
| Tzeitel | Joanna Merlin | Rosemary Nicols | Elizabeth Hale | Lori Ada Jaroslow | Jane Gurnett | Sharon Lawrence | Jacquelyn Yorke | Sally Murphy | Frances Thoburn | Alexandra Silber | Molly Osborne |
| Hodel | Julia Migenes | Linda Gardner | Christopher Callan | Donalyn Petrucci | Andrea Levine | Tia Riebling | Jo John | Laura Michelle Kelly | Alexandra Silber | Samantha Massell | Harriet Bunton |
| Chava | Tanya Evertt | Caryl Little | Nancy Tomkins | Liz Larsen | Lisa Jacobs | Jennifer Prescott | Adi Topol-Margalith | Tricia Paoluccio | Natasha Broomfield | Melanie Moore | Nicola Brown |
| Motel Kamzoil | Austin Pendleton | Jonathan Lynn | Irwin Pearl | Michelan Sisti | Peter Whitman | Jack Kenny | Neil Rutherford | John Cariani | Gareth Kennerley | Adam Kantor | Joshua Gannon |
| Perchik | Bert Convy | Sandor Elès | Jeff Keller | James Werner | Steven Mann | Gary Schwartz | Peter Darling | Robert Petkoff | Damian Humbley | Ben Rappaport | Stewart Clarke |
| Fyedka | Joe Ponazecki | Tim Goodman | Rick Friesen | Joel Robertson | Christopher Snell | Ron Bohmer | Kieran Creggan | David Ayers | Michael Conway | Nick Rehberger | Matthew Hawksley |
| Lazar Wolf | Michael Granger | Paul Whitsun-Jones | Paul Lipson | David Jackson | Mark Zeller | David Bacon | David Wohl | Victor McGuire | Adam Dannheisser | Dermot Canavan | |
| Yente | Beatrice Arthur | Cynthia Grenville | Ruth Jaroslow | Maria Charles | Ruth Jaroslow | Margaret Robertson | Nancy Opel | Julie Legrand | Alix Korey | Louise Gold | |
· External links
| Preceded byLife with Father | Longest-running Broadway show 1972–1979 | Succeeded byGrease |
References
- The 2004 revival featured a song for Yente and some women of the village (Rivka and Mirala) titled "Topsy Turvy", discus
- Most likely, this refers to the Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev, where some Jews were permitted to study unde
- Paulson, Michael. "Fiddler on the Roof Gets a Debated Update", The New York Times, December 18, 2015, accessed March 6,https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/19/theater/fiddler-on-the-roof-gets-a-debated-update.html
- Joselit, Jenna Weissman. "Fiddler on the Roof Distorted Sholem Aleichem", The New Republic, June 7, 2014, accessed Novemhttps://newrepublic.com/article/117621/wonder-wonders-and-worlds-sholem-aleichem-reviewed
- Solomon, Alisa. "How Fiddler Became Folklore", The Jewish Daily Forward, September 1, 2006, accessed January 29, 2015http://forward.com/articles/1710/how-efiddlere-became-folklore
- Brustein, Robert. "Fiddle Shtick", The New York Review of Books, December 18, 2014, vol. 61, No. 20, pp. 82–83
- Fiddler on the Roof. Additional Facts, MTI, accessed May 6, 2010http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000036
- Wecker, Menachem. "Marc Chagall: The French painter who inspired the title Fiddler on the Roof", The Washington Post, Ochttps://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/marc-chagall-the-french-painter-who-inspired-the-title-fiddler-on-the-roof/2014/10/23/0230b382-5480-11e4-ba4b-f6333e2c0453_story.html
- Progressive Lawyers under Siege: Moral Panic during the McCarthy Yearshttps://books.google.com/books?id=Q5zlCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16
- Khiterer, Victoria. "Jewish Education in the Ukrainian People’s Republic", Harvard Ukrainian Studies, Vol. 38, No. 3/4 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/48733665
- Bloom and Vlastnik, p. 98
- Fiddler on the Roof, The Guide to Musical Theatre, accessed April 29, 2018http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_f/fiddler_on_the_roof.htm
- Playbillhttps://www.playbill.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof-imperial-theatre-vault-0000006051
- Overturhttp://ovrtur.com/recording/178947112
- Playbillhttps://www.playbill.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof-winter-garden-theatre-vault-0000011538
- Playbillhttps://www.playbill.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof-new-york-state-theatre-vault-0000012977
- Playbillhttps://www.playbill.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof-george-gershwin-theatre-vault-0000011040
- Overturhttp://ovrtur.com/production/2891004/credits
- Playbillhttps://www.playbill.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof-minskoff-theatre-vault-0000002329
- Overturhttp://ovrtur.com/production/2897726/credits