Andrea and I attended an emotionally evocative production of the classic 1964 Broadway musical last night with our old friend and neighbor, Liliane, who had asked us to join her. We all had fond memories of the 1971 film that starred the Israeli star, Topol, with music produced by John Williams. I had also seen Herschel Bernardi’s starring role as Tevye on Broadway in 1967 with my parents.

I’d had reservations about seeing this celebration of traditional Jewish culture while Israel’s revengeful war on Gaza continued unabated. I deplored Israel’s disregard for the civilian population of Gaza, including the thousands of deaths of Palestinian children. Like all humanitarians, I was also appalled by the savagery of the Hamas onslaught of October 7, and my heart went out to the innocent Israeli victims and their families. But Israel’s subsequent war of retribution seemed even more appalling.

Settling into our excellent orchestra seats on a frigid December evening, I was able to let go of my concerns and open myself to the stirring drama of Tevye the Jewish milkman and his hard but soulful life with his wife and five daughters in the Russian (now Ukrainian) village of Anatevka in 1905. The actors were entering the stage already, in character, while the audience was still assembling. The set was that of an immigrant transport station with characters carrying luggage and waiting while uniformed guards processed their paperwork. The scene was depicting Tevye and his family as refugees after having been forced to leave their home during a violent pogrom. In that context, the entire story became one long flashback.

The music of “Fiddler” has permeated popular culture since the 1960’s. I had purchased an original-cast recording back then but had forgotten how deeply the songs were embedded in my memory. From the mysterious village fiddler’s first haunting notes, I was transported back to my teenage years when I was first discovering the magic of live theater.

Tevye offers his poignant yet funny opening soliloquy about his hard life and then launches into the riveting, full-cast rendition of “Tradition” – celebrating a world in which everyone knew their place and all life decisions, large and small, were ruled by precedent and patriarchal authority. As the rest of the cast joined in, one at a time, and the stage became a dynamically alive enactment of the villagers’ lives, expressed in fantastic dance choreography and song, I was emotionally transported. It was the magic of American musical theater giving vibrancy to the “traditional” life of a rural Jewish village in Eastern Europe over a century ago. I was close to tears throughout the ensuing unfolding of the poignant drama.

The emotional magic of the music and drama continued unabated through song after song: “Matchmaker”, “If I Were a Rich Man”, “Sabbath Prayer”, “To Life”, “Miracle of Miracles”, “Sunrise, Sunset”, “Do You Love Me”, “Anatevka”. I had forgotten how much I had loved all these songs before even attending that 1967 Broadway production with my parents.

My parents are long deceased, but the show was reminding me of how they had taken the overnight Greyhound bus with me from Buffalo to NYC in September 1967, to help get me oriented at Fordham University in the Bronx. I was of two minds about their accompanying me back then, but watching “Fiddler” this week, I was able to connect with their love and support for me as I started a new life as a college student. My mother liked music and shared my joy at listening to the “Fiddler” record album I had bought. She insisted that we splurge on the three Broadway tickets, and I now feel only gratitude and appreciation. I remembered some of the working-class antisemitism that had been expressed in our extended family circles, and I reflected on the rich appreciation of traditional Jewish culture that all three of us were inspired by as we watched the show together back then.

The Olney Theater production was first rate, as usual. Friends who had seen it earlier had warned us of increased security at the theater owing to an outdoor menorah having been vandalized in the neighborhood. We weren’t put off by the security bag checks, recognizing it as a necessary inconvenience at a time when world events had provoked a rise in both antisemitic and anti-Palestinian sentiments. The production served to universalize the traditionally Jewish themes of the show, casting persons of color in significant roles.

Live theater can be such a powerful vehicle for evoking feelings of appreciation and connection for our common human enterprise. Driving home, Liliane, Andrea, and I all expressed our gratitude for the humanizing effect of attending this beloved musical.

John Bayerl, 12/22/2023