DECEMBER 15 • 2022 | 73

M

ikhl (Michael) 
Yashinsky, who grew 
up in Farmington 
Hills, is making return appear-
ances in the second run of the 
Yiddish version of Fiddler on 
Roof, which is being shown 
through Jan. 1 at New World 
Stages in New York as directed 
by Tony and Oscar-winner Joel 
Grey. 
English and Russian superti-
tles make the dialogue signifi-
cant for those who don’t speak 
Yiddish.
“I’m playing the same roles I 
had when the Yiddish Fiddler 
originated in 2018 — the beg-
gar and the innkeeper,
” said 
Yashinsky, who became inter-
ested in Yiddish theater through 
his grandparents, Elizabeth 
Elkin Weiss and Rube Weiss, 
fluent in Yiddish and profes-
sionals in Jewish theater. “The 
production presents the culture 
of people without much money 
and getting by on their wits. 

“Both of my roles have a 
lot of character to them. The 
beggar is introduced in the 
first scene as one of the three 
representatives of the shtetl. 
He doesn’t have a lot to do the 
rest of the show. He has that 
funny little dialogue that peo-
ple remember. 
“The innkeeper I play for 
most of the show. His tavern is 
where the men go when Tevye 
agrees with Lazar Wolf to marry 
off his daughter to him. The 
innkeeper is a merry fellow 
always ready with a joke.
”
One of Yashinsky’s favorite 
parts in the show is giving 
the wedding speech. Another 
responsibility is helping Tevye 
(Steven Skybell) with Yiddish.
“I’ve been able to tap into 
the traditional art of being 
a wedding jester,
” explained 
Yashinsky, 33, single and a New 
York resident who has built a 
career writing in Yiddish, trans-
lating from Yiddish to English, 

making stage appearances in 
Yiddish and teaching Yiddish.
“The jester entertains the 
guests with bits of rhyme, and 
I use some authentic melodies 
in delivering speeches. I’ve lis-
tened to archival recordings and 
managed to bring that authentic 
spirit to each speech, which has 
been a lot of fun and reward-
ing.
”
Yashinsky is attracted to 
Yiddish as the language of his 
ancestry. In the past century, 
there was a break in passing 
down this chain of culture, and 
Yashinsky has done work to 
reconnect to that heritage. 
“To me, it’s a living heritage,
” 
Yashinsky said. “I’m interested 
in Yiddish books and Yiddish 
plays, but I’m also interested in 
creating anew in this language. 
It is a living language, and it 
excites me to contribute to its 
vibrancy.
”
Yashinsky has been very 
proud that Elisa Stein, the 
widow of Fiddler book writ-

er Joseph Stein, has been at 
rehearsals and told him that 
her husband would be very 
proud to know of the way he 
has taken on the characters. 
“I wrote a longer Yiddish 
play, The Gospel According to 
Chaim, based on interesting 
and controversial history of 
the last century,
” he said. “
A 
reading is planned in the new 
year.
”
When Congregation 
Shaarey Zedek had a Fiddler 
on the Roof concert in 2021, 
Yashinsky participated as the 
third character working with 
those portraying Tevye and 
Golde. 

“Each of us just did a few 
songs and shared some stories 
about the show,
” he recalled. “I 
sang ‘Miracle of Miracles’ and 
‘When Messiah Comes,
’ which 
had been cut from the original 
show. I also sang a Yiddish 
folk song about becoming a 
Messiah.
“
A lot of my friends and fam-
ily were in the audience because 
it’s my hometown. It’s the shul 
that my parents belong to. It 
almost felt like doing my bar 
mitzvah again.
” 
As Yashinsky works with Joel 
Grey, he finds that Grey is full 
of energy and vibrancy.
“He’s full of really brilliant 
directing ideas and connecting 
to his actors,
” Yashinsky said. 
“He’s quite a force, and he’s also 
become a friend. He was direct-
ing us over Zoom because of 
the COVID pandemic.
”
A special aspect of the two 
productions has been a real 
wedding. Two people, Drew 
Seigla and Staphanie Lynne 
Mason, playing sweethearts in 
the first Yiddish production, 
ended up marrying earlier this 
year and are back in the play. 
“
All of us were at the wed-
ding,
” Yashinsky said. “Their 
wedding was a mini-reunion 
before we started rehearsing for 
this run.
” 

ARTS&LIFE
THEATER

Michael Yashinsky returns to 
the stage in Yiddish Fiddler.

A Hometown 
Boy Who 
Loves Yiddish

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Details

The Yiddish version of 
Fiddler on the Roof runs 
through Jan. 1 at New 
World Stages, 340 W. 50th 
Street, New York. (212) 
239-6200. bytf.org/fiddler. 

Michael Yashinsky with director Joel 
Grey, and his parents, Debra Yashinsky 
and Gary Yashinsky

Joel Gray 
and Michael 
Yashinsky

