Reception among the Stars of The Fiddler on the Roof
Sunday, January 25th, 2004
Minskoff Theatre, NY, NY
January, 2004. The revival of the classic Fiddler on the Roof returns to Broadway as a smash musical hit with a brand new setting. It’s no wonder that Fiddler on the Roof is probably the most acclaimed musical in the country.
The story is about a family living in a small Ukrainian town called Anatevka in 1905, just prior to the Russian revolution. Alfred Molina, the main star, plays the role—originally created by Zero Mostel back in 1964—of Tevye the milkman, a Russian Jew with five daughters, who is struggling to support his family, trying to survive among ever-increasing hostility. His patience begins to wear as his daughters, beginning with the eldest, Tzeitel, second eldest, Hodel and third eldest, Chava, begin to marry outside of the family marriage traditions—something he hadn’t permitted them to do. I encourage you to see this wonderful masterpiece, and experience the climax. Of course, because the original production was forty years ago, and the original play was twenty six years ago, there have been a number of creative changes made for today’s audience, including, among other things a stage set more depictive of a Russian vast land
We had a great time at the reception following the performance. This masterpiece was produced by James L. Nederlander, Harber Entertainment, Terry Allen Kramer, Bob Boyett/Lawrence Horowitz, Clear Channel Entertainment, and Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Stewart Lane, a.k.a. Mr. Broadway, who is also a writer and director. He has won several TONY Awards for his various Broadway productions, including Will Rogers Follies and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and has been nominated for numerous more. (Anyone who would like more information on the TONY awards which Mr. Lane has received may view his website, at www.mrbroadway.com/awards.html). His lovely wife and assistant explained one of the roles of producers—putting the team together. Another task is the marketing of the production. Raising money, as Mr. Lane indicates, is similar to venture capital propositions, and requires finding people who have faith in the product you’re selling. Stewart advised that it’s best for prospective investors to invest in multiple shows—not just one, better managing risk and lowering the likelihood of a loss from any one production. When the topic of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber arose, we were very pleasantly surprised to learn that Mr. Lane worked together with Sir Webber on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar in London. In Stewart’s opinion, Sir. Andrew “defined” the entertainment music for the 80’s with the music for a number of outstanding Broadway blockbusters, Cats, Phantom of the Opera and his other wonderful shows. Mr. Lane also spoke a bit about the extraordinary chemistry between Alfred Molina (Tevye) and Randy Graff (Golde), in Fiddler on the Roof, which gives them uncanny realism as a Russian couple married for over twenty five years. As Mr. Lane calls it, “It’s electrifying” Stewart could have more awards on the way—as he and Bonnie have been nominated for two Olivier awards in London, one for Ragtime, and one for Thoroughly Modern Millie. Mr. Lane also plans on directing a new play that he wrote a comedy drama about two struggling actors in New York, called In the Wings. When we asked him about the many revivals of movies and plays from yesteryear, he told us that revivals tend to be less risky, although there tend to also be less returns. We learned that the group sales for this show tend to be frequent, because of its family-oriented nature. Parents come with their kids, perhaps the grandparents, and end up purchasing four to six tickets in one shot. Church groups and other organizations are also purchasing tickets in group sales. Stewart and Bonnie are looking forward to year after successful year of Fiddler on the Roof runs.
Another celebrity whom we had the pleasure of interviewing is the lead cast member, Mr. Alfred Molina, who has been in number of plays, including Molly Sweeney and Art, both New York productions. His reason for getting involved in Broadway shows is simply that he took a job offer that was made to him. He was nominated for a TONY award. His only acting interest is for Broadway. Mr. Molina has family roots in both Italy and Spain, and devotes most of his life to his passion—acting.
This was a great event, with delicious Hors d'oeuvres, and wonderful company. We would like to thank Norma Balass, from the Jewish National Fund (JNF), the public relationist who invited us to this wonderful event, where we had the opportunity to mingle with stars of this great Broadway revival. After interviewing these wonderful people, Liberty News Online Magazine strongly recommends this great 2004 revival of a world classic,. Fiddler on the Roof. For information and performance schedule, visit their website, at www.ticketmaster.com.
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The African American and Caribbean Section is headed by assistant editor Annette Johnson, and Liberty News Online Staff Writers contributing articles. It will cover articles about the African American and Caribbean communities throughout the U.S.A. For more information, feel free to email us at lncarib@hadofnyc.org. If you are interested in having us cover one of your events, feel free to notify us one week in advance, so we can add you to our master calendar, and have our Liberty News Staff come and write an article about your event. Feel free to email us at lnevents@hadofnyc.org, or telephone us at (718) 507-7616 between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm, and ask to speak to Annette or Steve