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Joseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010 [1]) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba.
Oct 25, 2010 · Joseph Stein, the Tony Award-winning author of “Fiddler on the Roof” and more than a dozen other Broadway musicals, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 98.
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem.
Joseph Stein was one of Broadway's finest librettists, whose work included such musicals as Mr Wonderful, starring Sammy Davis Jr, and Take Me Along, starring Jackie Gleason.
- Author Biography
- Plot Summary
- Characters
- Themes
- Style
- Historical Context
- Critical Overview
- Criticism
- Sources
- Further Reading
Joseph Stein was born on May 30, 1912, in New York City, the son of Charles and Emma (Rosenblum) Stein, Polish immigrants who emigrated to the United States. Growing up in the Bronx, Stein’s father read him the stories of Sholom Aleichem, a noted author of Jewish folk tales. Stein would remember these stories when he was called upon to develop the ...
Act I, prologue
Fiddler on the Roofopens outside dairyman Tevye’s house in the village of Anatevka, Russia, in 1905. Tevye addresses the audience, telling them that tradition keeps balance in their lives. Everyone has a role in village life, both Jews, such as matchmakers and rabbis, and non-Jews, such as the Russian officials. As long as people stay in their place and do not bother each other, Tevye says everything will be all right.
Act I, scene 1
In the kitchen of Tevye’s house, his wife Golde and his daughters prepare for the Sabbath. Yente the village matchmaker comes to visit. She tells Golde that she has a husband for the eldest daughter, Tzeitel: Lazar Wolf, the butcher. Lazar is an older man, a widower. Golde is unsure about the match because Tevye wants his daughter to marry a learned man. Still, Golde agrees to arrange a meeting between her husband and Lazar. Not knowing the details of their mother’s conversation, Tzeitel’s si...
Act I, scene 2
Tevye arrives home just in time for Sabbath, the beginning of the Jewish holy day. His horse threw a shoe, and he had to make deliveries by foot. Tevye talks directly to God, saying that he wishes he was wealthy so he could better support his family. He sings the song “If I Were a Rich Man.” The villagers come to Tevye’s house, demanding their dairy orders. One has a newspaper which says the Jews were all evicted from a nearby village. The men worry. A newcomer to the village, a young man nam...
Chava
Chava is the third oldest daughter of Tevye and Golde. She likes books and learning. She reluctantly falls in love with Fydeka, a Russian. When she marries him, her parents disown her. But when the Jews are forced out of the village, she visits her parents and they acknowledge her.
The Constable
The Constable is a local Russian official. Though friendly with Tevye, he follows his orders to first pillage the Jews, then force them to leave the area all together.
Fydeka
Fydeka is a young Russian man who is attracted to Chava. Noting her interest in books, he gives her a book to begin their courtship. He eventually marries her, though their union results in Chava’s family disowning her. When the Russians force the Jews to leave the village, Fydeka tells Tevye and
Custom and Tradition
Tradition is central to Fiddler on the Roof.All of the Jewish villagers look to tradition as a guide in their lives. Tradition dictates that a matchmaker aid in the arranging of marriages, not that couples decide for themselves who and when they will to marry. Custom dictates that only men dance at weddings, not that men ask women to dance. Tradition also regulates dress, food consumption, and who can interact with whom—especially in regard to Jewish/Russian relations. While Tevye upholds the...
Change and Transformation
Perchik and Tevye inevitably and sometimes unwittingly change local traditions in Fiddler on the Roof.When Tevye’s eldest daughter, Tzeitel, tells him she does not want to marry Lazar, that she loves Motel, Tevye agrees to let her marry the poor tailor. He does this despite the fact that a match has been made by Yente and that he has made an agreement with Lazar. This goes entirely against the village’s standard practice of young women marrying the men their fathers have selected for them. Bu...
TOPICS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1. Compare and contrast Tevye with the title character in Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage;both characters struggle to survive in tough times and a harsh environment. Focus on their quests to support and guide their children. 2. Research the history of the Jews in turn of the century Russia. Why was tradition—a central theme in Fiddler on the Roof—so important to their way of life? 3. Read the short stories by Sholem Aleichem (1894’s Tevye and His Daughters) that are the basis for Fiddler on t...
Setting
Fiddler on the Roofis a musical comedy that takes place in 1905 in the small Russian village of Anatevka. The action of the play occurs largely in and around the home of Tevye. The kitchen, Tevye’s bedroom, the front yard, and the barn are the primary locations, in addition to some brief settings in the village, including an inn, Model’s tailor shop, the train station, streets, and roads. Tevye’s house emphasizes his importance as the primary character as well as the centrality of the family...
Monologue
In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye has two kinds of monologues: those in which he prays, talking directly to God, and those in which he directly addresses the audience. Both kinds of monologues allow Tevye to express his religious beliefs, doubts, worries, and fears. He talks about his failing horse and the problem of supplying a dowry for his five daughters. When he talks to God, especially, the importance of religion and tradition are emphasized. When he talks directly to the audience, it is usu...
Dance
Dance is used in Fiddler on the Roofto underscore the themes of the play. Perchik, especially, uses dance to challenge tradition. In Act I, scene 6, Perchik makes Hodel dance with him when no one is around, though women are not supposed to dance with men. Though Hodel has been obedient before, this act—and Perchik’s infectious free spirit—leads her to question traditions. During Tzeitel’s wedding, Perchik asks Hodel to dance again. She agrees, which leads to all the guests save two (Lazar and...
The 1960s was one of the most prosperous decades in the history of the United States. Between 1960 and 1965, low unemployment and low inflation dominated. The average worker’s salary increased by one-fifth. People had more money and more things to spend it on. Still, there was some labor unrest, such as a short strike by the United Auto Workers (UA...
When Fiddler on the Roof had its first out-of-town try-out in Detroit, Michigan, there was debate over whether the show would ever have the mass appeal to make it to Broadway. A reviewer from Variety predicted it would only have a slim chance to be successful. Still, good word of mouth spread through its next stop in Washington, D.C. By the time Fi...
A. Petrusso
In this essay, Petrusso discusses the breakdown of tradition inFiddler on the Roof. In Fiddler on the Roof,tradition is an important theme, defining the lifestyle of Jews living in Anatevka, Russia, in 1905. As the dairyman Tevye says to the audience in the prologue to Act I, “Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” Such traditions define every facet of
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
1. Rags,a musical written by Joseph Stein that was first produced in 1986. It continues the story of Tevye and his family upon their arrival in the United States. 2. Russia in the Age of Modernisation and Revolution 1881-1917,published by Hans Rogger in 1983, is a history of Russia, including treatment of the Jews and the events of the Revolution of 1905. 3. Wandering Staris a novel by Sholem Aleichem published in translation in 1952. It concerns a Yiddish theatrical group touring Russia. 4....
Thomas M. Disch
Reviewing a 1991 revival production of Fiddler on the Roof, Disch finds that Stein’s play still has the power to charm an audience. The critic summarized: “As of right now this is the best musical on Broadway.” Of Fiddler on the Roof little more need be said that it is as good as ever. The art of curatorship has rarely been exercised so scrupulously in the Broadway theater. The Chagallesque sets by Boris Aronson have been faithfully reproduced; ditto the Zipprodt costumes. The credits at the...
Hewes, Henry. “Broadway’s Dairy Air” in the Saturday Review of Literature,October 10, 1964, p. 33. Lewis, Theophilus. Review of Fiddler on the Roof in America,January 2, 1965, p. 25. Review of Fiddler on the Roof in the Nation,October 12, 1964, p. 229. Review of Fiddler on the Roof in Time,October 2, 1964, p. 82. Sheed, Wilfred. “The Stage: A Zero ...
Altman Richard and Mervyn Kaufman. The Making of a Musical: Fiddler on the RoofCrown, 1971. Guernsey, Otis L., Jr. Broadway Song & Story: Playwrights, Lyricists, and Composers Discuss Their Hits,Dodd, Mead, 1986, p. 115. Rosenberg, Bernard, and Ernest Harbug. The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art,Crown, 1971. Suskin, Steven. Openi...
Nov 8, 2010 · Joseph Stein, who died Oct. 24 at 98, said he decided long ago that he didn’t want to pen purely commercial projects. Ironically, his most successful work was the one he considered his...
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Oct 24, 2010 · Joseph Stein was a prolific American playwright and librettist, best known for his work on the beloved musicals Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba. Born on May 30, 1912, in New York City,...
