New Book Will Tell Behind-the-Scenes Creation Story of the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof
(© Matthew Murphy)
A new book will explore the creation of Joel Grey's Yiddish-language Fiddler on the Roof revival.
Written by Samantha Hahn, the youngest member of the show's cast, the book, titled On the Roof: A Look Inside Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish will be released via the UK-based Pegasus Publishing on September 24.
Hahn, who played Beylke, interviewed the cast, creative team, and crew, creating a behind-the-scenes look at the production's journey from the Museum of Jewish Heritage to Times Square's Stage 42.
Fiddler on the Roof is based originally on the Tevye the Dairyman vignettes by Sholem Aleichem, and features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. The Yiddish translation, originally performed in Israel in 1965, was crafted by Shraga Friedman, an Israeli actor and director, just one year after the Broadway debut of Fiddler on the Roof.
Presented by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish won the 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Revival, a 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award Special Citation, and 2019 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Lead Actor for star Steven Skybell.
