Fiddler on the Roof (In Yiddish) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The show has arrived with its stripped-down aesthetic and emotionally lucid production intact. In fact, it feels even more resonant... This may not be the most spectacularly sung, danced or designed 'Fiddler' ever to hit the stage, but it's likely the most authentic thanks to the use of Yiddish and the focus on genuine feelings. At times it's more like a séance than a show. The turn-of-the-20th-century village of Anatevka may be fictional, but its denizens feel wonderfully, vibrantly alive."
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"Delivering raw emotionality, boisterous humor and cultural authenticity that will stir you whether you're experiencing the show for the first time or the 15th...Steven Skybell brings exuberant charm, warmth, flinty intelligence and even a bearish sexiness...Grey navigates the show's many shifts from comedy to pathos, from elation to fear and desolation, with a supple hand, and the heartfelt investment in the story and characters is evident throughout."
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“Beautifully acted and sung...By way of an ancient language, a musical that has spent the last fifty years being produced regularly...is suddenly seen through a new lens...The impeccable cast is led by Skybell, a bearish Tevye of commanding strength and warm humility...There is very fine work among the supporting company...This is a heartwarming production of an enduring classic.”
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“What originally came across as a solid, modestly scaled effort that drew much of its power from its choice of language and venue has matured into a ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ that can stand up to any I've seen. And yes, the Yiddish dialogue and lyrics imbue it with an authenticity that makes it unique...Skybell's Tevye is...superb...The use of Yiddish firmly anchors this production in the old-world, yet it is surely not lost on anyone in the audience that we live in a world of refugees."
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"This production is very special indeed, endowed with a superabundance of strengths. If I were to narrow it down to one, it would be this: everyone involved absolutely respects the story that is being told, bringing out every bit of nuance that lies within Friedman's translation of Joseph Stein's English-language book...All told, director Joel Grey has given us a 'Fiddler' that is a towering labor of love, delivering the goods with heart, soul, and integrity."
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"Seeing the iconic 1964 Joseph Stein–Jerry Bock–Sheldon Harnick musical performed in the characters’ original language simply feels right...Some things hardly need translation, such as the boisterous 'Lekhayim' ('To Life'). Or the delicate duet between Golde and Tevye, 'Libst Mikh, Sertse?' ('Do You Love Me?'), rendered with such tenderness by Babiak and Skybell—surely one of the best Tevyes to ever tug a milk cart."
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"There’s a lot to smile at in this wonderful production...As gimmicks go, 'Fiddler' in Yiddish has a pretty good one...But this 'Fiddler' succeeds fully on its own merits. Grey’s interpretation of the classic is simple and moving, and he has assembled a fine cast of Yiddish-speaking (and Broadway-level-singing) performers...The Yiddish language places the piece even more firmly than usual in a specific place and time."
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"It’s cannily and rhythmically, if not literally, true to the characters and predicaments of the Sholem Aleichem tales on which Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick built their folk musical...All this conspires to offer a 'Fiddler' unlike any you’ve seen before and promising, no matter how many times you’ve heard that luminous score, a fresh and joyful revisit...I object to Dan Moses Schreier’s over-amplification, which frequently wrecks the intimate scale of the proceedings."
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"The property is now more than a half-century old. But this production makes it seem as though the 1964 iteration were merely an English-language version of a classic from even longer ago. There's a greater feeling of immediacy than perhaps ever before. Hearing the characters speak and sing in the tongue that their real-life 1905 contemporaries would have used is deeply moving."
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"Masterpiece-revival...crackles with warmth, authenticity, and a call for tradition in this timeless tale of a changing shtetl....The use of Yiddish here also allows the play to be removed from Americanisms so much that it becomes that much more universal...Sitting in the audience, a swell of pride bursts from the stage into the house; decades after its debut, 'Fiddler on the Roof' remains essential for audiences...Regardless of language, it is a triumph of courage in the face of opposition."
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"You don't have to understand Yiddish to thrill to this production. Though most adult theater goers will know the songs and story and have probably seen it more than once, they'll come away feeling they've seen it for the first time— and that this is how it was meant to be...Fortunately the downtown cast is again on board. And the jewel in the crown of legendary performer Joel Grey's directing career shines more brightly than ever."
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“While this production lacks snap-crackle and pop, there is a foundation of purity, of truth...By giving us the tale in Yiddish, Grey and this company make us listen in ways for which we are unprepared. The sound of language opens more than the ears. It opens the heart...Ultimately this production works for mysterious reasons. The language is the loom on which the tapestry is created. We are lured in without knowing it.”
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"With the beautifully nuanced performance of Steven Skybell as the father, Tevye, grappling with a changing world within his family, his community, and his country, it was easy to be pulled in...His Tevya is the heart of this less grand production, but it beats strong...The pain and moral acceptance echoes in the musical sound, which is gorgeously rich...The grandness of the last Broadway revival is easily set aside, with grace, for this off-Broadway intimate portrayal."
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"By repositioning the language, it refocuses the narrative. At times, it is startlingly successful; at others, the beloved musical loses what makes it great...Friedman’s translation attempts to capture the humor, but is never quite successful...The translation is effective overall, though, in establishing a new mood and tone...Grey’s production emphasizes the serious over the romantic...In the moments where the show really clicks, it’s breathtaking."
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"The production is directed by Joel Grey with exciting musical staging and culturally influenced choreography by Stas Kmiec. Oh, what a production it is!...Freeing itself from the burden of extravagance, it manifests a certain reality that pulls the audience in, so they become a part of the tightknit community. It is beyond suspension of disbelief, as it creates an actuality that transfers the spectator to another time...The members of the cast deliver authentic and compelling performances."
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“The same glorious show that I saw last year...It has the same modest design...The cast is largely intact, although I miss two of the principals...In general the acting is a bit broader...Hoffman as Yente remains a revelation; an integral part of her comedic gifts are the shrug and the whine and the wisecrack that are embedded in the rhythm of the Yiddish language...Yiddish just makes sense for this musical.”
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"Much more is gained than lost by the simplicity of the production, beautifully staged by actor Joel Grey and choreographer Stas Kmiec, without needing to focus on huge set pieces or overelaborate musical numbers, one can more deeply appreciate the show's story of an ordinary man who must adjust to drastic changes in his way of life - from letting his daughters choose their own husbands to eventually being forced to leave the village he's always called home."
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"The musical staging and choreography…adapt the…creations of Jerome Robbins for the reduced cast…but lose little of their imaginative verve...Each performance is carefully honed; while the richly comic material remains as humorous as ever, it's embedded in a deeply felt world of real people, led by Skybell's unusually straightforward Tevye...We cannot weep for the Jews…without also shedding tears for the families being torn apart at our own borders."
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"The marriage of Grey’s direction and Skybell’s performance shines like a beacon of love, warmth, and tenderness...It captures the essence on the Broadway musical but has the spirit of what the real Anatevka was like...Under Grey’s direction, the show has an emotional clarity. Grey has brought out the humanity and has made this man and his family so relatable...This 'Fiddler on the Roof' is like a fine meal, completely satisfying...This is a 'Fiddler' for the ages."
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"It is a wonder to behold...'Fiddler' is being played in the language in which it was meant to be, and it seems thoroughly natural in this appealing staging directed with sensitivity, humor, pathos and dignity by distinguished actor Joel Grey...Steven Skybell is a great Tevye. He makes the character come realistically alive...The large cast does an excellent job all around...The dancing is creative and exuberant, and the singing is tops."
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“National Yiddish Theatre Folksbeine’s glorious production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yiddish breathes fresh life into a treasured property from the golden age of musical comedy, forcing audiences to interact anew with what is now one of the most well-known and performed musicals of all time, and providing, in return, a host of vital performances and resonant insights. It is, in short, a revelation. See it, or regret it.”
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“Under the sensitive leadership of director/actor Joel Grey, ‘Fiddler’ remains as touching as ever...You don't have to understand Yiddish to appreciate this extraordinary work about surviving the upheavals of life...You can glance at the Supertitles in English and Russian, but the show is as authentic as the language heard on the streets of Borough Park...The music is stirring with emotion.”
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"The show travels well and now resonates with a deeper emotional wallop, the actors having settled into the intricacies of performing in a language not their own...After more than six months in the role, Steven Skybell is becoming a Tevye that rivals greats like Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi...Tony winner Joel Grey directs with loving reverence to the show's history, but also a keen sense of its enduring relevance."
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"Stronger than I remember...This 'Fiddler' is a unique triumph...But make no mistake, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s 'Fiddler' is still very much the musical we all know and love. In the iconic role of Tevye, Skybell continues to deliver a sturdy, heartfelt performance that eschews the role of its trademark grandiosity...Skybell’s Tevye registers more like an 'everyman', and therefore the character’s considerable journey becomes an intimate one, and comparable to our own."
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"It surges with authenticity. This is ironic because, of course, the authenticity is artificial. 'Fiddler' is no more a Yiddish show than 'Cabaret' is German; both are Great American Musicals...It’s funnier. Yiddish, as everyone knows, is man’s funniest language, both in the shapes of its sounds and its metaphoric flexibility...The use of Yiddish becomes truly meaningful...Speaking Yiddish is a labor of love, an act of resistance."
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“Though it features a Broadway-quality Tevye...and, for Off Broadway, a high level of professionalism throughout, the Folksbiene production cannot achieve the status and polish of mass entertainment. Rather, it offers a kind of authenticity no other American ‘Fiddler’ ever has: It’s in Yiddish...Couldn’t sound more right...Outside of the big numbers, it is not as suave as it might be...But when the production hitches a ride on the astonishing craft of the original, it is often thrilling."
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“Thrilling...So virtuosic is Steven Skybell in that role that he often needs no language at all for us to feel his character swerve from ironic mockery to righteous anger to heartbreak...Illes is engaging and steely and Hoffman is comic and a bit over-the-top...The production’s polish and verve make for an exuberant and touching celebration..But there are also crucial complications. The show’s attitude to the observantly Jewish culture of the shtetl...is itself quite ambivalent."
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"Aside from being performed in Yiddish, this is not so different from a well-acted regional theater production of 'Fiddler'...The production values are minimal, with no scenery except for a few hanging banners and basic props. A 12-piece orchestra sits at the back of the stage. Even though the space is rather cramped, the original Jerome Robbins dance choreography is efficiently reproduced."
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"Transcendent new production of the classic musical brings us closer to Tevye, Golde, and the good, pious citizens of Anatevka than we've ever been before...Even if you don't understand what the actors are saying, once the 15-piece orchestra strikes up those familiar melodies, you won't even need to look at the supertitles. The result is an intensely moving experience...It's a well-balanced staging that goes for the emotional guts but doesn't sacrifice the musical comedy."
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"Folksbiene gives full value; that is, this production flavorfully brings out the full value of the material...The life and the joy of the musical are here, as well as the stripping away of Tevye’s soul as his beliefs are challenged by his beloved daughters and his existence is obliterated by the tsar. Director Grey and associates fit the show on a tiny stage, yes; but the abundance of this production is definitely full scale...This is a warm and wonderful 'Fiddler on the Roof,' even in a foreign tongue."
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"Despite a large cast and an ample auditorium at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Grey's take on this musical theater treasure is more intimate than recent productions, starting with a stage set that consists mainly of several large, wrinkled cloths hanging from the rafters, dividing the downstage area from the reduced-force orchestra playing Jerry Bock's music with panache and understanding ethnic color as conducted by Zalmen Mlotek."
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"NYTF's excellent Yiddish production as directed by Joel Grey and performed by his fine cast cast gives us no major revelations about the musical. However, it does make us fall in love with Tevye, his wife, Golde, and his three daughters all over again...This staging brilliantly emphasizes the sorrow that colors the lives of the people...Skybell is warm and funny and philosophical and...well... everything we want this long-suffering milkman to be. What's more, Hoffman is priceless as Yente."
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“The fascinating new staging from The National Yiddish Theatre is a time-bending musical. Spoken and sung in Yiddish, this 'Fiddler'...feels like an ancient version newly unearthed...The language, stagecraft and Grey’s smooth direction all conspire to transform the work into a bible story...The changes Friedman fiddles with, to accommodate the musicality of Yiddish...are sometimes charming and at other times mind blowing."
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"Folksbiene’s version has a purity and emotional accessibility that makes up for its modest production values...The singers have excellent voices and the dancers are absolutely first-rate. Staś Kmieć works wonders staging the Robbins-inspired dances and just moving the large cast around on a small stage...Steven Skybell plays Tevye more as an everyman than a larger-than-life figure, which I think works very well...The multitalented Joel Grey directs with complete assurance."
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"A more intimate experience in the small auditorium at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The result is not a diminishment. The production staged with love and professionalism...creates a sense of a community...Skybell conveys the full range of Tevye’s reactions to the eroding of his beloved Old World traditions as they give way to 20th century shifts....Each member of the company becomes a full-fleshed citizen of Anavetka."
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"It took me awhile to establish the right rhythm of reading and watching. But once that kicked in, I was transported...I marveled at how perfect a musical 'Fiddler on the Roof' is...This revival's success is mainly due to the direction of Joel Grey. Having his production performed in Yiddish, the language that Fiddler's characters would have spoken, obviously helps. But Grey also walks the talk and he has brought out every ounce of the underlying melancholy in this story."
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"Grey sensitively gleans the right amount of comedy and drama, and knockabout humor and gnarlier pathos, from the text without overindulging any extreme...Feels like an honoring reclamation of a version of 'Fiddler,' and its real-life historical context in the Russian Pale of Settlement, rather than anything dramatically opportunistic or theatrically kitschy...The most exuberant and fabulous dance sequences this critic has seen in New York in months."
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"If you know Yiddish, it is, without question, a must-see. And if you have any hesitation about attending a three-hour show in a language you don’t speak, let me assuage your concerns immediately. You don’t have to be of any particular linguistic base, ethnicity, or religious affiliation to comprehend the beauty and significance of this work or to be touched by the characters and their story; you just have to be human...Everything is this production bespeaks accuracy and authenticity."
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“Dazzling...Directed with verve and style by Tony and Oscar winner Grey...The Yiddish version offers neat little twists on the language...and reconfigures numerous lines to match the rhythm and meaning in Yiddish...Excellent cast...Could have felt dated and old-fashioned, instead is very much of the moment in the wake of the immigrant and refugee crisis currently going on in America and around the world...Another big hit for the talented troupe.”
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"What makes Grey’s production extra-extraordinary is that he has found the perfect balance between the show’s comedy and tragedy...Stephen Skybell is a splendid Tevye, especially in his scenes with Lazer-Volf...Seldom has a Golde been as tender as Mary Illes...Hoffman is giving us a finely tuned, completely restrained and – most important of all — utterly human performance."
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"The definitive production...In other productions, and all have been first rate, you felt you were watching a musical. Here I honestly felt that I was in their small town watching the actual inhabitants...While the show always had its share of hilarious and moving moments here it is performed with such robust dedication you feel you are watching the show for the first time...In its own way it has a fresh incandescent feel thanks to both Grey and the cast."
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“Theodore Bikel would have approved...An authentic and, at times, extraordinarily moving experience...A Broadway-class production with beautiful staging and choreography...and an excellent 12-piece stage orchestra...The show’s authenticity makes this not only the most authentic rendition of the show but places it into the pantheon of must-see theater for all.”
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"Tevye and the shtetl-dwellers of Anatevke sing 'Traditsye.' It couldn’t have sounded more perfect...There were moments that felt less like a musical and more like a séance. The suspension of disbelief went far beyond 'the stage is reality' to 'this auditorium is now a time machine'...Comedian Jackie Hoffman kills as Yente the Matchmaker."
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"One of the most celebrated musicals of all time performed in the language that is most genuine to the show’s historical period...Many in the audience may not have understood all the words, but it was certainly one of the most meaningful and memorable nights they have had in the theatre. Stas’ Kmiec’s musical staging and choreography were electrifying and the songs we all love never sounded better under music director/conductor Zalmen Moltek’s baton."
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"Directed with a golden touch by Joel Grey...this production is nothing short of a masterpiece. Many elements of the show are better than Broadway...Skybell marvelously gives us an everyman version of Tevye, perfectly blending the stern and humorous parts of the character...Skybell’s humility gives the show a unique intimacy and the production hugs you like a warm blanket. The result is the feeling that this is not simply a show; it is our history. And it is a great present."
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“‘Fiddler On The Roof’ in Yiddish is brilliant...Original ravishing Robbins choreography modified only in scale. Orchestra of 12 and it was first rate. A minimalist set...The translation is projected...though not many needed it. My guest didn’t even bother to follow it–not necessary...Hearing this show in the mother tongue of the characters was unspeakably beautiful, soulful and, at times, gut-wrenching. We were both dishrags after it.”
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"The current relevance of 'Fiddler on the Roof' is apparent, and registers with new immediacy in the age of Trump...The language of the lost world, bountifully expressive, is the appropriate framework for a show that revives a little-commented upon feature of that world. Through the efforts of the Folksbiene and its fellows, Yiddish is experiencing something of a contemporary resurgence."
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