Fiddling Around with Memories of Tevye

By Joel H. Cohen

NEW YORK — The recent passing of Topol, the Israeli actor who played Tevye in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof, evoked a lot of Fiddler-related memories.

Including Topol and beginning at Zero Mostel, I’ve seen at least five actors in the role, each with his own likeable take.

Our youngest child, Ivan, played the rabbi in a school Fiddler, and, when Herschel Bernardi came to Lincoln Center in a revival, my late wife Nancy and I took Ivan to a performance, partly in hopes of having him meet the actor who played the rabbi professionally.  So, after the performance, we took Ivan to the stage door, and luckily did encounter that actor, who was kind enough to autograph our son’s Playbill “to my  colleague.”  We were not usually stage-door visitors, but since we were already there, we decided to wait for Bernardi. to tell him how great he’d performed, bringing Anatevka to life.  Finally, Herschel emerged — wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, and holding the hand of a blonde young woman. The Anatevka illusion was completely shattered.

Lesson learned: enjoy the performance, but skip the stage door if you want to retain the mood of the play.

Yet, it’s certainly not all a downer, especially because, since then, the show-biz degrees of separation have narrowed again.  Steven Skybell played Tevye in the Yiddish version of Fiddler just a few years ago. When Staten Islander Fay Schiff had first seen Steven on a Broadway stage in a performance of an O’Neill drama, not only the actor’s name but his good looks, rang a. pleasant bell for her.  It turned out that Steven Skybell’s grandfather, Archie Skibell, was a nephew of Fay’s father, Izzy. The two were also close, handsome young men in Dallas, Texas in the late 20s and early 30s. Fay had loads of pictures of them with pretty, young women. When Fay first saw the actor’s name in the Playbill, spelled slightly differently from that of her branch of the family, “I thought he’s either a relative or knows one of mine!” Fay recalled.  When he came on stage I knew.  He looked so much like my father!”  She “lured” him to her home for dinner, promising — and delivering — pictures of his grandfather. The grateful actor sent Fay a pleasant note afterwards.

Later when Yiddish Fiddler arrived on Broadway and Fay bought tickets, she found more pictures and sent a note backstage.  After the performance he welcomed her and her family backstage with hugs, and when she presented him with more pictures he responded with more hugs. When Fiddler ads appeared, “I sent a short text to him and always received a response.”

So how would the fictional Tevye adjust to life in the United States? He pretty much would love it here, but with some reservations:

 -‘ A former Czar, claims — without proof — that he was cheated out of his job, and wants to be Czar again. He lies about everything, divides allies and puts down anyone who disagrees with him.’

-‘ In Michigan, an armed man threatens to kill Jewish elected officials.”

-‘  Meanwhile, modern day Cossacks and neo-Nazis of various fascistic organizations consider themselves justified in invading the nation’s Capitol building.’ and terrorizing legitimate office holders and others assigned to work there.

– One congresswoman speaks seriously (?) of “Jewish outer-space invaders.”

And so it goes. But Tevye remains hopeful that the defects in life here will be healed — by what else but good old American humane TRADITION!

*
Joel H. Cohen is a freelance writer based in New York City.