Interviews

Broadway Mainstay Danny Burstein Goes From Anatevka to Newark in Indignation

The ”Fiddler on the Roof” star traces a line from his recent stage projects through his latest film premiere.

As Danny Burstein enters into his ninth month as Tevye in the Tony-nominated revival of Fiddler on the Roof, he celebrates the opening of a screen project that has been taking shape throughout his latest Broadway season.

The six-time Tony nominee appears in James Schamus' Indignation — a film adaptation of the 2008 Philip Roth novel, which also marks Schamus' directorial debut. In the film, opening July 29, Burstein plays a kosher butcher and Newark native who desperately tries to prevent his son Marcus (Logan Lerman) from being the next neighborhood casualty in the Korean War. The film reunites Burstein with Linda Emond, the Frauline Schneider to his Herr Schultz in the 2014 revival of Cabaret, and continues his diverse career beyond the stage. And despite what his Broadway fans may have heard, his on-screen résumé extends beyond episodes of Law & Order.

Six-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein takes on a featured role in James Schamus' new film Indignation.
Six-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein takes on a featured role in James Schamus' new film Indignation.
(© David Gordon)

When did Indignation come your way? Before or after Fiddler on the Roof?
The summer before. I first started talking to James Schamus about a year and a half ago, and he thought of the two of us — Linda Emond and I — because he'd seen us in Cabaret. You get so many scripts, either offers or stuff to audition for, and ninety percent of the stuff you feel like you can stop reading after page twelve. I sat down and I was on page ninety-seven when I looked up at my clock. I laid in bed to read the script and I looked up at the clock and it was like one-thirty in the morning. I thought, "This script is incredible." [Schamus] is maybe one of the greatest screenwriters ever. He really knows how to write dialogue and how to shape scenes and how to create drama. It's an honor to be working with him, especially on his directorial debut.

How was it reuniting with Linda Emond for this film? Your relationship is much different in Indignation than it was in Cabaret.
Our relationship [in Indignation] is never as kind as Frauline Schneider and Herr Schultz. [This couple has] been married a long time, and they've been sort of living in their own worlds for a long time. Their relationship is not a particularly happy one but that's what you did. You stayed together. So it was interesting to explore that… And we both love the script so much.

Danny Burstein as Herr Schultz and Frauline Schneider in Cabaret (left) and as the Lermans in Indignation.
Danny Burstein as Herr Schultz and Frauline Schneider in Cabaret (left) and as the Lermans in Indignation.
(© Joan Marcus/courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

In both Indignation and Fiddler, you play fathers who take pains to prioritize their Jewish faith. Do you explore your own Jewish roots when you portray these characters?
You know, when you are Jewish, there's something innate in you that has that pull towards these stories. It just hits you in a very emotional place. The story of Cabaret, that hit me very hard — the thought of the beginning of the Holocaust. And Fiddler of course, every single night is an emotional journey to say the least. And with this, watching his son be taken away, his religion fray, it's difficult. And you connect to it. You just do on this innate level.

What kind of preparation did you do for this character?
We went and did the Philip Roth tour of Newark where Roth grew up. We saw his neighborhood and got a feel of the city and even the butcher shop. I took butchering lessons, did a lot of reading, tried to get the right feel and look for the guy. I was happy with the way it all came together. His love for his family is great. Maybe his greatest love, even more so than his love of God. And I would say that might be the case for both [him and Tevye]. So in that way they are similar and they're doing their best to protect their children in the way that they see fit. That is the heartbreak of it all.

You've gotten the most recognition for your work in theater, but you've done a lot of television and film as well. Tell me about that side of your career.
I have had more outward success onstage, but my career has been filled with lots of TV and film. Many people don't know about it, but I've done it for a very long time. It's just that I've always played these supporting characters. I actually prefer being under the radar…I have one of these lovely careers where I just continue to work. When one thing isn't happening, something else is. I just keep rolling along. I feel like Old Man River. I just want to have a normal life and be an actor and have the respect of my peers, and I've been able to do that.

Danny Burstein in a scene from Indignation, adapted from the Philip Roth novel by James Schamus.
Danny Burstein in a scene from Indignation, adapted from the Philip Roth novel by James Schamus.
(© Alison Cohen Rosa)

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