Fiddler at 50 at CBE

The show about tradition has become tradition. So writes Alisa Solomon in her wonderful book about the cultural history of the show Wonder of Wonders. She, along with lyricist Sheldon Harnick and original Tzeitel Joanna Merlin, participated in a spirited and fun event at CBE last night, honoring "Fiddler" and all of our relationships to it.

The event combined communal sing-a-longs, solo singing, reminiscing, and a panel featuring the three guests of honor.  Cantor Josh served as MC, and you could tell how much he enjoyed getting to interact with the the panelists and leading the group singing. He even did a little "Fiddler" music theory, explaining how the return to the dominant in many of the songs is meant to invite ke the traditional cadences of the Yeshivah. At the beginning of "Tradition," which was actually the closing number of the event, he added lines about the tradition of choice at CBE, an interesting twist revealing how "Fiddler" as Judaism can become many different things depending on who's talking. I was wondering what Alisa Solomon would say about this event if she were writing a chapter about it for her book because the event celebrated the "Anatevka" of CBE as much as it celebrates "Fiddler" itself. How did Sheldon Harnick feel?

Some musical highlights: the most lovely musical selections were performed by Donna Breitzer, the cantor's wife. She sang "Far from the Home I Love" and "Do You Love Me" with Cantor Josh. They sang and acted well and were relishing every moment. The other performances, while not as musically sound, were still full of joy and commitment. A perfect performance wasn't the point and everyone was so happy to just be celebrating. Sheldon Harnick seemed satisfied.

The highlight of the conversation was hearing Alisa Solomon and Sheldon Harnick talk about a Middle school production of "Fiddler" in Brownsville in 1968. It was the middle of the crisis between the teachers union and the local Brownsville community. There was Jewish opposition to the mostly black and Hispanic 12-14 year olds doing the show for fear of anti-Semitic caricatures. From what it sounds like, Solomon and Harnick (who was at opening night and was dismayed to see police in the audotorium) both described the production as incredibly sincere and respectful; Solomon interviewed a couple of the student actors and they still speak with pride about their involvement in the show.

I would strongly recommend reading Solomon's book, which is tremendous cultural history, revealing how "Fiddler" has come to represent so much more than the creators could have imagined in 1964. Joanna Merlin even said, "we didn't even know it would be a good show!" And of course, you should revisit the show itself. Apparently it's coming back to Broadway soon, maybe even with updated dances from contemporary Israeli choreographer Hofesh Schechter (that'll be interesting!).