Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles and the creation of a universal musical theatre production
22 Aug 2019

by Drew Rowsome -

Musical theatre is an ever evolving art form. Every few years there is a show that redefines what musical theatre can do, what other art forms it can incorporate, or how song and dance on a stage can comment on, and influence, popular culture. Fiddler on the Roof was that show in 1964. And it was not only a hit but it also had legs, the endlessly fascinating documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles casually drops the factoid that in the 55 years since it opened, there has been a production or performance of Fiddler on the Roof hitting the boards every single day.

We get to see some of those productions, in various languages and with performers of various ethnicities. Which should be odd for a show inspired by and grounded in a very specific Jewish experience. But Fiddler on the Roof became a part of the universal zeitgeist. As one of the many interviewees says, you hear the score once and it is in your head forever. Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles proves that by trotting out song after song and one realizes that one is singing along to each one. All I have to type is, "If I were a rich man," and the majority of the world will immediately fill in "Daidle deedle daidle/Daidle daidle deedle daidle dumb."

There are clips of "If I Were a Rich Man" in multiple performances including a haunting rendition by The Temptations, that I had never seen before and want to see more of. We all relate to Tevye on a very basic level and Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles explains how Fiddler on the Roof speaks inter-generationally and cross-culturally by exploring the conflict between tradition and change. An array of interview subjects - authors of books analyzing Fiddler on the Roof and the Sholem Aleichem texts it is based on, Fran Lebowitz, former and current cast members, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the late Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim and many more - offer opinions and praise while explaining how Fiddler on the Roof can be read as not only a Jewish text but also explicitly in terms of feminism, class, culture, family and community.

It even glancingly stirs in gay liberation, the crucible of the '60s included all the fringe groups who thrived in New York before fighting their way to international prominence, with a in-depth but too short section on Jerome Robbins who directed the original Broadway production. (Robbins also brings up the eternal question of whether artists who behave despicably are redeemed, or tolerated, through what they create.) We hear from the sublime Harvey Fierstein who played Tevye memorably and perhaps radically. I would have loved to have seen clips and heard more from Fierstein, but Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles has much more ground to cover.

There are huge dollops of theatrical gossip - with a star like Zero Mostel, how could there not be? Bette Midler is tragically left out - and the story of how the initial production came together contains more than enough material for a dozen documentaries. As does the production of the film by goy Canadian director Norman Jewison. And just as Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles seems to have meandered through one absorbing anecdote too many, director Max Lewkowicz slides Fiddler on the Roof into 2019 headlines in a move that is as powerful and devastating as the finale of Fiddler on the Roof. This endlessly intriguing and entertaining documentary about the creation of a theatrical phenomenon packs a wallop.

It all loops back to an interview with Joel Grey in the midst of directing a Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. He tells an innocuous story about a Japanese fan that leads to him stating that Fiddler on the Roof works so well because "everyone thinks it is about them." Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles proves that it is true. And you will leave singing.