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How did a book of short stories become a smash hit Broadway show, why does it still resonate with audiences, and why is the fiddler on a roof? Find out in this definitive look at the much-loved musical.
Since 1964, not a day has gone by without ‘Fiddler on the Roof‘ being performed somewhere around the world. Its opening was inauspicious, with critics decrying its lack of memorable songs. So how did a collection of Yiddish short stories become a universally beloved musical? Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles tells the unlikely story.
Director Max Lewkowicz’s deep dive into the musical’s history shows just how difficult it was to get the tale of Tevye and his marriageable daughters off the ground. Over the decades the musical has resonated with audiences far flung from the East European Jewish community it depicts, and seems all the more pertinent today.
As uber fan Lin-Manuel Miranda (‘Hamilton‘) notes: “At moments of great upheaval, ‘Fiddler’ is always going to seem relevant – because the world is changing faster than we can understand. We look to our traditions to guide us – and sometimes they fail us.”