34 | FEBRUARY 27 • 2020
Arts&Life
theater
Fiddler 2.0
Israeli actor brings diverse talents to
his role as Tevye in this stage revival.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I
sraeli actor Yehezkel Lazarov jokes that he
understands why this tour of Fiddler on the
Roof needed a second year. The first year
did not take him to Detroit. At last, Lazarov
will appear at the Fisher Theatre, where the
original show had its 1964 trial run before
heading to Broadway.
“I never see things [as isolated]. There’
s
always something before and after. I can’
t wait
to be on that stage,
” said Lazarov, who stars as
Tevye when the musical revival comes to town
March 10-15.
Fans of the classical production will find
some changes in this touring version, based on
the Sholem Aleichem story of family relation-
ships as experienced by a milkman, his wife
and their five daughters living in a Russian
village during the early 1900s, before the rev-
olution.
Lazarov’
s character sings “If I Were a
Rich Man” in a show filled with enduring
Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick numbers that
include “To Life (L
’
Chaim),
” “Sunrise, Sunset,
”
“Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “Tradition.
”
“Part of what makes it new is the choreog-
raphy in a more modern style and the stage
setting,
” Lazarov explained. “The stage is very
clean and minimalistic, and it looks
more modern because of the sim-
plicity.
”
Fiddler is directed by Tony Award-
winner Bartlett Sher and choreo-
graphed by Hofesh Shechter, also
from Israel, with scenic designs by
Michael Yeargan.
The beginning and the ending
of the play also are a bit different,
Lazarov said. For example, the new
show starts with Tevye in modern
dress, reading from a book in a train
station. Then he hears a fiddle
and
sees a sign identifying Anatevka, the
village where the story takes place.
As the production moves into the
1905 setting and Tevye slips into peri-
od wear, Lazarov said he finds special
significance in the connections he can
make to his own family. Like Tevye,
he also is a husband and father, but
with only three daughters. His family
is traveling with him on tour. Another
similarity is that Lazarov is of Russian
heritage and passes Jewish observance
to his children.
“I come from a religious family and
can remember going to the synagogue
with my grandfather,
” said Lazarov, 46,
who has an interfaith marriage — as
does one of Tevye’
s daughters in the
musical. “My grandfather used to tell
me all the stories about when he was
a kid. There were 11 brothers and sis-
ters, and they moved from a little vil-
lage in Russia because of the pogroms.
“My grandfather and grandmother
kept to their faith. Knowing this in
the back of my mind and soul, I say
the word ‘
Tradition’
and know exactly
what I’
m talking about.
”
Lazarov also values the plot in the
context of current socio-political
themes. Thinking of today’
s refugees
forced to leave their homes, he believes
that situation makes the Fiddler story
important to tell now.
MAN OF MANY TALENTS
Talking about his life, Lazarov
described a multidisciplinary career
Yehezkel Lazarov
stars at Tevye
in the revival of
Fiddler on
the Roof.
JOAN MARCUS