‘Fiddler’s’ Jewishness

I haven’t seen the new production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which Thane Rosenbaum claims suffers from “an absence of Jewish soul” (“Playing to Everyone,” Feb. 15). But based on his article, I can’t figure out what he means by that.

He complains that the new Fiddler doesn’t reflect “the inner world of the shtetl.” But did the original? Rosenbaum even quotes lyricist Sheldon Harnick as saying it isn’t “an accurate description of the shtetl.” “Fiddler’s” creators weren’t making a documentary or a museum exhibit of Jewish life in Russia in 1905. They were making a musical.

Rosenbaum’s biggest gripe is that the universality of “Fiddler” -- the conflict between tradition and change -- has somehow, after 40 years, diluted its Jewishness. Yet that universality was always there. Indeed, Rosenbaum quotes Harnick: “We concentrate[d] on universal values.”

I agree with Rosenbaum that “Fiddler” must strike audiences differently now than in 1964. But he thinks it is because Jews have been accepted into the American mainstream, so much so that he fears today’s patrons may have trouble recognizing the characters as Jewish.

I think it’s because “Fiddler on the Roof” has become part of American culture. It played two limited-run revivals, was made into a movie, is in production for a TV movie and has been performed in thousands of community, college and high school theaters.

I’d like to know what it is that Rosenbaum finds not “entirely kosher,” or how it has become “deracinated of its uniquely cultural imprint.” He praises the sets, the costumes, the staging. He doesn’t mention if the text has been revised, save noting the addition of a song. So what’s different?

Have they eliminated the rabbi? Have they deleted Tevye’s lines in “If I Were a Rich Man” in which he declares his fondest wish is to spend hours daily praying in the synagogue? Have they cut “Sabbath Prayer?” Do Motel and Tzeitel apply for a license at city hall?

Rosenbaum doesn’t offer concrete examples for his claim that this revival is ethnically diluted, save one: He singles out the fact that the lead, Alfred Molina, is not Jewish as evidence that the show has been “universalized” beyond its roots. What do Mr. Molina’s religious views have to do with his ability to play the role?

Without better evidence, I can’t discover the basis of Rosenbaum’s rants. However, I urge him not to go see “Hamlet.” That Shakespeare fellow didn’t accurately convey life in medieval Denmark, and the lead probably won’t be Danish.

Laura Frankos

Chatsworth

Laura Frankos composes the Broadway trivia contests for FynsworthAlley.com, a website devoted to show tunes.