The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's seven-week return Off-Broadway engagement of the Drama Desk Award–winning Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish is set for November 13-January 1, 2023, at New World Stages.
Ahead of their opening, the cast offered a sneak peek of their rehearsal process. Watch the interviews and performance in the video above.
Oscar and Tony winner Joel Grey will again direct with Steven Skybell returning to the role of Tevye, the milkman navigating family, faith, and changing traditions in the Russian shtetl of Anatevka. Skybell won a 2019 Lucille Lortel Award for his performance in the initial Off-Broadway run of the production.
Also returning to the cast are Jennifer Babiak as Golde, Ben Liebert as Motl, Stephanie Lynne Mason as Hodl, Rosie Jo Neddy as Khave, Bruce Sabath as Leyzer-Volf, Drew Seigla as Pertshik, and Rachel Zatcoff as Tsaytl.
The ensemble will feature a mix of returning and new artists, including Kirk Geritano as Avrom, Raquel Nobile as Shprintse, Jonathan Quigley as Chaim, Nick Raynor as Yosl, Adam B. Shapiro as Der Rov, Jodi Snyder as Beylke and Frume-Sore, James Monroe Števko as Mendl, Lauren Jeanne Thomas as Der Fidler, Bobby Underwood as Der Gradavoy, Mikhl Yashinsky as Nokhum/Mordkhe, Abby Goldfarb, Kayleen Seidl, and Ron Tal with swing John Giesige.
Choreography is by Jerome Robbins with musical staging and new choreography by Staś Kmieć. The production will also have musical direction by Zalmen Mlotek, orchestrations by Larry Blank, scenic design by Tony winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Tony winner Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Tony winner Peter Kaczorowski, sound design by Tony nominee Dan Moses Schreier, and hair/wig design by Drama Desk nominee Tom Watson. Veronica Aglow serves as production stage manager, with Kat West on board as production supervisor and Tinc Productions and Michael Costa making up the production management team. Casting is by Jamibeth Margolis.
Fiddler on the Roof features a book by Joseph Stein, based on stories by Sholem Aleichem, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The Yiddish translation is by Shraga Friedman. The original 1964 Broadway production, produced by Harold Prince and directed and choreographed by Robbins, won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The production from National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene was a surprise hit in summer 2018, when it began performances in a limited run at the Museum of Jewish Heritage downtown. The production extended four times before transferring to Stage 42, where it officially re-opened February 21, 2019. The Off-Broadway run then extended from June 30, 2019, to September 1, 2019, and then again to its final date: January 5, 2020.
Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, a New York Drama Critics Circle Special Citation, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival, and a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Skybell.
Visit NYTF.org/Fiddler.
