Letter From New York: Breaking Tradition
Monday, March 8th, 2004
By the time Broadway’s latest revival of Fiddler on the Roof opened on February 26, the “trouble” had already started. In a Los Angeles Times essay, author Thane Rosenbaum had proclaimed “an absence of Jewish soul” in the new production, which stars Alfred Molina, the talented British actor of Spanish-Italian heritage, as Tevye. “The sensation is as if you’re sampling something that tastes great and looks Jewish but isn’t entirely kosher,” he wrote. The line was reprinted and amplified by New York Post columnist Michael Riedel, who started a war of words with the show’s director, Tony-winner David Leveaux, culminating in an opening-night scuffle that left Riedel on the floor.
Sounds crazy, no? (more…)