There’s a lot to be said about a musical, namely “Fiddler on the Roof,” that lit up Broadway like a blazing comet in 1964, becoming the first longest-running Broadway show for nearly 10 years, winning nine Tony Awards, prompting countless revivals on Broadway and other stages. The story, which takes place in the early 1900s, centers on Tevye, the Jewish milkman, who lives in the village of Anatevka, Russia, (now the Ukraine) and his family.
Tevye’s world as he knows it is about to change. He grapples with three of his daughters and their untraditional choices for husbands. Also, brutal times are emerging.
Gateway executive artistic director Paul Allan discussed why this gorgeous, beloved musical is being produced now.
“Although we like to do the latest releases, it’s important to go back to some of the classics,” Allan said. “It has deep roots with Jerome Robbins (legendary original choreographer and director; Harold Prince produced it), it’s enduring, and it’s nice to offer something with a message that’s especially relevant today. You think you’re secure in your little town, and then something happens.
“There was a recent Yiddish version (Yiddish with supertitles, a seven-week run from Nov. 13 to Jan. 1 at Manhattan’s New World Stages). They tried to be to true to the culture, and that helped us.”
Bruce Winant stars as “Fiddler”’s Tevye. An accomplished actor with numerous Broadway roles including “An American in Paris,” “Chicago,” “Ragtime, “Phantom of the Opera” and “Fiddler,” as well as films and television shows (he’s also a Gateway alum), Winant sat for an interview with the Tide in the theater recently.
“In my world, there are three perfect musicals: ‘Man of La Mancha,’ ‘Sunday in the Park with George,’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’” he said.
“It’s not a bunch of songs with a story; it’s a brilliant play with music woven in and creates a timeless piece that never gets dated. It’s the perfect alchemy: music, book, and lyrics. The story is so relevant to any time period and to any father. When he sends his daughters off to marry, is the man good enough? It’s something we all go through, especially for a Jewish family that prides themselves on tradition.”
Winant is the son of character actor H.M. Winant, soon to be 97, and network executive and Emmy Hall of Fame inductee Ethel Winant (who died in 2003); producer/director Scott Winant and new music percussionist William Winant are his brothers.
Talk about show-business royalty.
Winant’s dad worked in 1950s films as well on television shows like “Mission Impossible” and “Hogan’s Heroes.” The acting bug bit when his dad asked him to cue lines when he was about 12. “I had the script and fed him lines,” he recalled. “I’d be with him on the sets, on location.”
He met Elvis.
“My favorite story was when he had just finished ‘It Happened at the World’s Fair’ with Elvis, who beat the snot out of him in a scene and wound up shattering his nose,” he said. “Six weeks later, he returned to the set. I came back from school and there’s Elvis at my front door with a big bouquet of flowers and candy as an apology.”
All Winant could say was a stunned, “I know your name.”
Winant was reflective about the “Fiddler” story.
“It’s the coming of the modern world and modern children,” he said. The oldest daughter eschews traditional matchmaking with an older man, a prosperous butcher, to marry a tailor; another wants his blessing to marry outside their faith; the third elopes. There’s a revolution brewing, and Jews must leave their village.
“The village Anatevka is in the center of the Ukraine,” Winant pointed out. “The closest city is Kyiv.”
But in the mix, there is also poignancy, joy, acceptance, and transformation. Prepare to be dazzled. There are 30 in the cast, with two casts of children. Keith Andrews is again at the helm as director and choreographer. with musical direction by Keith Levenson. Musical hits include “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “To Life (L’chaim).”
No question about it. You’ll probably leave the theater singing.
“Fiddler on the Roof” opens Jan. 26 and runs to Feb. 25. For tickets or more information, click on www.thegateway.org.
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