Episode Details

The acclaimed off-Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof”—in Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles—opens in Canada this week, during Jewish Heritage Month.

This is the stage musical’s first international tour since its rousing success in New York under Oscar-winning actor and director Joel Grey. The dialogue showcases the original language in which Sholem Aleichem wrote his stories about the beloved fictional character Tevye the dairyman, whose family faces upheaval and antisemitic persecution in Czarist Russia in 1905.

Toronto’s Harold Green Jewish Theatre teamed up with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene to bring the show to Canada, with Broadway star Steven Skybell as Tevye, and a supporting cast of major Canadian performers including Theresa Tova, Jamie Elman and Gabi Epstein.

The promoters say this production resonates so deeply after Oct. 7. as questions of identity, migration, continuity and Jewish belonging feel newly urgent.

On today’s episode of The CJN’s North Star podcast, reporter Jonathan Rothman joins host Ellin Bessner to discuss why he set out to learn more about this version of the iconic show, and they talk tradition, rehearsals and why attending a performance later today will mark the first time he has actually ever seen any version of Fiddler.

(Note: The Harold Green Jewish Theatre is advertising the play on The CJN's website, but they were not involved in this story or our coverage of the play in any way.)

Related stories

• Learn more about the making of the show in The CJN's Jonathan Rothman’s feature article in The CJN .
• Buy tickets for Fiddler’s two-week run at The Elgin Theatre in Toronto.
• The CJN’s David Matlow looked at the enduring appeal of Fiddler on the Roof for his “Treasure Trove” column, in 2024 .

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner )
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director)
• Music: Bret Higgins

Support our show

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to North Star (Not sure how? Click here )
• Watch our podcasts on YouTube.
• https://www.youtube.com/@TheCJN Help others find this podcast by leaving us a review for “North Star” on Apple Podcasts via your iPhone or iPad device, or with your Android. (Spotify allows only starred ratings but you can do that, too!)