Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
- 2/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Hulu’s acclaimed “Only Murders in the Building,” currently vying for 11 Emmys, has gone all razzle dazzle in its third season. Make that rattle dazzle! Beleaguered Broadway director Oliver (Martin Short) was hoping for a comeback on the Great White Way with the mystery thriller “Death Rattle.” But when his leading man (Paul Rudd) is murdered, he decides to turn the straight play into a musical, “Death Rattle Dazzle!” And in the third episode, Meryl Streep’s nervous journeyman actress and Ashley Park’s leading lady performed the show-stopping ballad “Look for the Light” co-written by Sara Bareilles. One almost forgot the prime suspects in “Death Rattle Dazzle!” are the infant Pickwick triplets.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
- 8/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume‘s character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerome Coopersmith, who received a Tony nomination for writing a 1965 Sherlock Holmes musical and penned more than two dozen episodes of the original Hawaii Five-o during the series’ first nine seasons, has died. He was 97.
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
- 7/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sheldon Harnick, the nimble lyricist who partnered with composer Jerry Bock to create the songs for some of Broadway’s greatest musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello! and She Loves Me, has died Friday. He was 99.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
- 6/23/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sheldon Harnick, whose lyrics for the acclaimed stage and film musical Fiddler on the Roof are some of the most recognizable and beloved in Broadway history, died today at his home in Manhattan. He was 99.
the lyricist who, with the composer Jerry Bock, wrote some of Broadway’s mostorable musicals, including the Tony Award-winning “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Fiorello!,” died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 99.
His death was announced by spokesman Sean Katz.
More To Come…...
the lyricist who, with the composer Jerry Bock, wrote some of Broadway’s mostorable musicals, including the Tony Award-winning “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Fiorello!,” died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 99.
His death was announced by spokesman Sean Katz.
More To Come…...
- 6/23/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Tonys will be held on June 11, so the American Theatre Wing will likely be announcing their lifetime achievement award recipient in the near future. Who do you think should be taking home this prestigious trophy? Scroll down to let us know in our poll which behind-the-scenes creative deserves the honor this year.
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
The Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honors an individual’s body of work, and in some years we’ve gotten multiple recipients. Last year legendary five-time Tony winner Angela Lansbury received this honor about four months before her death on October 11 at the age of 96. The following living creatives have already received this award so they’re not eligible to be chosen again: Paul Gemignani, Alan Ayckbourn, Athol Fugard, Jane Greenwood, Sheldon Harnick, Marshall W. Mason, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Harold Wheeler, and Graciela Daniele.
Here are 10 possibilities, all of them creatives over the...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Chaim Topol, the renowned star of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Flash Gordon," has died. The world renowned actor of both the stage and screen was 87 years old. According to The Times of Israel, Topol passed away in Tel Aviv after dealing with Alzheimer's disease for many years.
In large part thanks to his decades-long run as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," both on stage and on screen, Topol earned a reputation as being the first Israeli actor to truly find fame and recognition around the world. His profile was bolstered greatly following the smash success of 1971's Oscar-winning adaptation of "Fiddler," for which Topol was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Topol "one of the most outstanding Israeli stage artists," as well as a "giant of Israeli culture and will be greatly missed." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also had the following to say in a statement:
"Sadly,...
In large part thanks to his decades-long run as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," both on stage and on screen, Topol earned a reputation as being the first Israeli actor to truly find fame and recognition around the world. His profile was bolstered greatly following the smash success of 1971's Oscar-winning adaptation of "Fiddler," for which Topol was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Topol "one of the most outstanding Israeli stage artists," as well as a "giant of Israeli culture and will be greatly missed." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also had the following to say in a statement:
"Sadly,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Chaim Topol, the spirited Israeli actor and singer who, one season following another, portrayed Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof on stages all around the world and in an Oscar-nominated turn in Norman Jewison’s 1971 film adaptation, has died. He was 87.
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the more unlikely stage-and-screen box office smashes in musical history, “Fiddler on the Roof” — based on stories of shtetl life in Tsarist Russia by Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem, and turned by writer Joseph Stein, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and composer Jerry Bock into a song-filled saga about a poor milkman with five unmarried daughters and an aversion to change — defied conventional wisdom about whose stories could be universal.
It helps, of course, when your score is a treasure trove: “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “To Life,” and “Sunrise, Sunset” are all-timers.
We’ve already gotten one adoring film about the original Broadway show’s legacy, 2019’s “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,” and now we have a second: Daniel Raim’s warm, engaging “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen.” As its title makes clear, the documentary is about the beloved movie version directed by Norman Jewison,...
It helps, of course, when your score is a treasure trove: “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “To Life,” and “Sunrise, Sunset” are all-timers.
We’ve already gotten one adoring film about the original Broadway show’s legacy, 2019’s “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,” and now we have a second: Daniel Raim’s warm, engaging “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen.” As its title makes clear, the documentary is about the beloved movie version directed by Norman Jewison,...
- 4/29/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen director Daniel Raim on the casting of Tevye for Norman Jewison’s Fiddler on the Roof: “Until I talked with Norman I didn’t know that Frank Sinatra’s manager had called Norman. And Danny Kaye, what a great story!”
Daniel Raim’s Fiddler’s Journey To The Big Screen, co-written with Michael Sragow, produced by Sasha Berman, executive produced by Matthew H. Bernstein and narrated by Jeff Goldblum, takes us on the remarkable odyssey of Norman Jewison and how he became the director of the multiple Oscar-winning Fiddler On The Roof.
Daniel Raim with Anne-Katrin Titze on Robert F Boyle: “He was my professor and I knew he loved Edward Hopper, so for Christmas I got him, when I was a student, a book on Hopper paintings.”
On-camera interviews with Topol, Rosalind Harris (Tzeitel), Michele Marsh (Hodel), Neva Small (Chava), composer John Williams,...
Daniel Raim’s Fiddler’s Journey To The Big Screen, co-written with Michael Sragow, produced by Sasha Berman, executive produced by Matthew H. Bernstein and narrated by Jeff Goldblum, takes us on the remarkable odyssey of Norman Jewison and how he became the director of the multiple Oscar-winning Fiddler On The Roof.
Daniel Raim with Anne-Katrin Titze on Robert F Boyle: “He was my professor and I knew he loved Edward Hopper, so for Christmas I got him, when I was a student, a book on Hopper paintings.”
On-camera interviews with Topol, Rosalind Harris (Tzeitel), Michele Marsh (Hodel), Neva Small (Chava), composer John Williams,...
- 4/28/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
"It's the closest thing to a human voice that their is.... That's worth the price of a ticket." Zeitgeist Films has unveiled an official trailer for a making of documentary called Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen, about the creation and filming of Fiddler on the Roof (which won three Oscars in 1972). The fall of 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the film, and this doc is about director Norman Jewison's quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia while also re-envisioning the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes footage, original storyboards, and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Norman Jewison, Topol ("Tevye"), composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and many others involved. The doc explores how the experience of making Fiddler deepened Jewison as an artist and revived his soul. This...
- 3/13/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Jerusalem-based sales agent Go2Films has taken both worldwide rights (excluding North America) and Israeli distribution rights to “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen” by Oscar-nominated director Daniel Raim and narrated by Jeff Goldblum. Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films will handle North American distribution on the film, which follows the making of Norman Jewison’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The film was meant to have its international premiere in the Official Selection of Palm Springs Film Festival, which was cancelled due to Covid-19. A new international premiere is currently being negotiated. The film will have its market premiere at the European Film Market, running Feb. 10-17.
Go2Films also confirmed it has already closed the first deal for the film ahead of the EFM, with Jiff set to release the film in Australia in November 2022. Israeli documentary channel yes will broadcast the film after its theatrical release in the country,...
The film was meant to have its international premiere in the Official Selection of Palm Springs Film Festival, which was cancelled due to Covid-19. A new international premiere is currently being negotiated. The film will have its market premiere at the European Film Market, running Feb. 10-17.
Go2Films also confirmed it has already closed the first deal for the film ahead of the EFM, with Jiff set to release the film in Australia in November 2022. Israeli documentary channel yes will broadcast the film after its theatrical release in the country,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jeff Goldblum-narrated documentary Fiddler’s Journey To The Big Screen, about Norman Jewison classic Fiddler On The Roof, is getting U.S. distribution via Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.
The movie charts the story behind director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic.
Daniel Raim (Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story) directs the film, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol, composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actresses Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small.
The deal was negotiated by producers Daniel Raim and Sasha Berman, and Richard Lorber on behalf of Zeitgeist, which is planning a spring 2022 release.
The acquisition comes exactly 50 years since Jewison’s musical was released in the U.
The movie charts the story behind director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic.
Daniel Raim (Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story) directs the film, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol, composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actresses Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small.
The deal was negotiated by producers Daniel Raim and Sasha Berman, and Richard Lorber on behalf of Zeitgeist, which is planning a spring 2022 release.
The acquisition comes exactly 50 years since Jewison’s musical was released in the U.
- 11/4/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
A line-up of nearly 30 stars – from Glenn Close, Patti LuPone, Darren Criss, Kelsey Grammar and David Alan Grier to Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Henry and Phillipa Soo – will perform title songs from more than 20 musicals for a special livestreamed musical event next month benefiting The Actors Fund.
The event, called Show of Titles, will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.” In addition to the above-mentioned performers, the line-up includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Santino Fontana, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.
Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad,...
The event, called Show of Titles, will feature title songs of Broadway musicals spanning nine decades, from “Lady Be Good” to “The Light in the Piazza.” In addition to the above-mentioned performers, the line-up includes Annaleigh Ashford, Len Cariou, Santino Fontana, Isabelle Huppert, Norm Lewis, Rob McClure, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Melba Moore, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Michael Rupert, Ernie Sabella, Lea Salonga, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams and Patrick Wilson.
Making special appearances will be Broadway Inspirational Voices, Candice Bergen, Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Lithgow, Lindsay Mendez, Phylicia Rashad,...
- 5/17/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Great Performances has set its fourth annual “Broadway’s Best” November line-up on PBS, including the world premiere of Lea Salonga in Concert featuring the Tony Award-winner singing her signature songs from Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Aladdin and Mulan.
The Broadway’s Best programming, running on Fridays from November 6 to Nov. 27, kicks off with the 2011 taping of One Man, Two Guvnors, featuring a Tony Award-winning performance by The Late Late Show‘s James Corden. The play, adapted by playwright Richard Bean from a 1743 Commedia dell’arte farce and set in the British resort town of Brighton during the Swinging ’60s, follows out-of-work musician named Francis Henshall (Corden) who becomes a bodyguard-minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a petty East End crook, who turns out to be closer to Henshall than expected.
Next up will be Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles on Friday, Nov. 13, the 2019 documentary chronicling the history of the classic...
The Broadway’s Best programming, running on Fridays from November 6 to Nov. 27, kicks off with the 2011 taping of One Man, Two Guvnors, featuring a Tony Award-winning performance by The Late Late Show‘s James Corden. The play, adapted by playwright Richard Bean from a 1743 Commedia dell’arte farce and set in the British resort town of Brighton during the Swinging ’60s, follows out-of-work musician named Francis Henshall (Corden) who becomes a bodyguard-minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a petty East End crook, who turns out to be closer to Henshall than expected.
Next up will be Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles on Friday, Nov. 13, the 2019 documentary chronicling the history of the classic...
- 10/1/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
MGM is in the works on a feature film adaptation of the stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof” that will be directed by “Hamilton” director Thomas Kail, the studio announced Thursday.
Kail will also produce with Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick and will work from a script by Steven Levenson.
The original stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway in 1964 and was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. It went on to win nine Tony Awards including Best Musical and played more than 3000 performances. The production has been revived on Broadway multiple times.
Also Read: Filmed Version of 'Hamilton' to Debut on Disney+ This Summer (Video)
MGM last adapted the play into a movie in 1971 starring Topol and directed by Norman Jewison, which won three Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture.
Kail will also produce with Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick and will work from a script by Steven Levenson.
The original stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway in 1964 and was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. It went on to win nine Tony Awards including Best Musical and played more than 3000 performances. The production has been revived on Broadway multiple times.
Also Read: Filmed Version of 'Hamilton' to Debut on Disney+ This Summer (Video)
MGM last adapted the play into a movie in 1971 starring Topol and directed by Norman Jewison, which won three Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture.
- 5/28/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: MGM will turn the iconic stage musical Fiddler On The Roof into a feature film adaptation that will be directed by the red hot director Thomas Kail, who’ll produce with Dan Jinks and Aaron Harnick. Steven Levenson will write it, based on the musical that opened on Broadway in 1964 and won nine Tony Awards.
The musical features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, and the original was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Its Tony haul included Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score of a Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer and it played more than 3000 performances. The production has been revived on Broadway multiple times and continues to be performed around the globe. The musical was turned into a 1971 Norman Jewison-directed film by United Artists with Topol playing Tevye. The film won three Oscars out of eight nominations.
The musical features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, and the original was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Its Tony haul included Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score of a Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer and it played more than 3000 performances. The production has been revived on Broadway multiple times and continues to be performed around the globe. The musical was turned into a 1971 Norman Jewison-directed film by United Artists with Topol playing Tevye. The film won three Oscars out of eight nominations.
- 5/28/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
MGM is making a toast to life, putting together a new feature version of the classic stage musical Fiddler on the Roof.
The studio has enlisted Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning helmer of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, to direct the film, which will be produced by Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Aaron Harnick. Kail will also produce.
Steven Levenson, who wrote the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen and was the showrunner of the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, is penning the script.
Fiddler on the Roof, featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway ...
The studio has enlisted Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning helmer of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, to direct the film, which will be produced by Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Aaron Harnick. Kail will also produce.
Steven Levenson, who wrote the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen and was the showrunner of the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, is penning the script.
Fiddler on the Roof, featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway ...
- 5/28/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
MGM is making a toast to life, putting together a new feature version of the classic stage musical Fiddler on the Roof.
The studio has enlisted Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning helmer of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, to direct the film, which will be produced by Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Aaron Harnick. Kail will also produce.
Steven Levenson, who wrote the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen and was the showrunner of the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, is penning the script.
Fiddler on the Roof, featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway ...
The studio has enlisted Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning helmer of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, to direct the film, which will be produced by Dan Jinks (American Beauty) and Aaron Harnick. Kail will also produce.
Steven Levenson, who wrote the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen and was the showrunner of the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon, is penning the script.
Fiddler on the Roof, featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway ...
- 5/28/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Sunday, January 26, 2020, Encompass New Opera Theatre Nancy Rhodes, Artistic Director, The Board of Trustees and The Encompass Honorary Gala Chair, Sheldon Harnick will pay tribute to Academy Award and Tony Award-winning luminaries, Estelle Parsons and Maury Yeston, with a star-studded musical salute. The elegant evening - hosted by Midge Woolsey of ThirteenWNET and Wqxr Radio - will feature recollections and tributes by well-known Musical Theatre and Opera personalities and friends. Dazzling musical entertainment will feature stars of stage and screen.
- 1/15/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Surprising revelations and praise from famous fans add to the appeal of this documentary about the world-conquering Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof
Director Max Lewkowicz’s richly detailed documentary celebrates the illustrious Broadway show Fiddler on the Roof, the evergreen shtetl-set musical first staged in 1964 with choreography and direction by Jerome Robbins and starring Zero Mostel as Teyve, the milkman.
Contributions from a range of interviewees – including people attached to the original production, such as producer Hal Prince and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and famous fans of the show, including Fran Lebowitz and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda – help to structure the history lesson about how Fiddler became a massive international hit. That account is filled out with footage of recent productions from around the world, including one in Japanese and one by some African American high-school kids in Brooklyn, as well as the 1971 film version, starring Chaim Topol and directed by Norman Jewison.
Director Max Lewkowicz’s richly detailed documentary celebrates the illustrious Broadway show Fiddler on the Roof, the evergreen shtetl-set musical first staged in 1964 with choreography and direction by Jerome Robbins and starring Zero Mostel as Teyve, the milkman.
Contributions from a range of interviewees – including people attached to the original production, such as producer Hal Prince and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and famous fans of the show, including Fran Lebowitz and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda – help to structure the history lesson about how Fiddler became a massive international hit. That account is filled out with footage of recent productions from around the world, including one in Japanese and one by some African American high-school kids in Brooklyn, as well as the 1971 film version, starring Chaim Topol and directed by Norman Jewison.
- 12/12/2019
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
The North American tour of the Tony Award - nominated Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof in underway. A beloved theatrical classic from Tony-winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is directed by Tony-Award winner Bartlett Sher South Pacific, The King and I and choreographed by the acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter.
- 11/18/2019
- by Review Roundups
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Berlinale has secured a new backer for its documentary award, with public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg stepping in to offer the $44,000 prize. First introduced in 2017, the Berlinale Documentary Film Award sees around 18 docs nominated from one of the following program strands: Competition, Encounters, Panorama, Forum, Generation, Berlinale Special and Perspektive Deutsches. A three-person jury will select the winner, which will be presented at the festival’s official awards ceremony. The new partnership will last for an initial five years.
Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company Fortissimo Films has added Francisco D’Eufemia’s environmental thriller Furtive to its slate following the film’s world premiere at China’s Pingyao International Film Festival and ahead of its European premiere at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Pic comes from the director of 2016 adventure movie Escape From Patagonia, it follows a forest ranger who tries to reinvent his...
Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company Fortissimo Films has added Francisco D’Eufemia’s environmental thriller Furtive to its slate following the film’s world premiere at China’s Pingyao International Film Festival and ahead of its European premiere at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Pic comes from the director of 2016 adventure movie Escape From Patagonia, it follows a forest ranger who tries to reinvent his...
- 11/14/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Looking back on the previous century, we see that the good ole’ U.S. of A. gave birth (or at least nursed and nurtured) several, vibrant art forms. A revered trio springs to mind, ones originally looked down upon by “the cultural elite”, but now celebrated worldwide. There’s jazz, graphic sequential story art (a “fancy-schmancy” term for comic strips and comic books) and the theatrical musical comedy. And amongst the hundreds produced (many barely made it past opening night), a couple of dozen or so could be called perennials ,shows that are constantly revived on the “great white way” while still being staples of community theatres, along with colleges, high schools, and even middle or “grammar” schools. Of those, the Rogers and Hammerstein classics get the most “play”, followed closely by another duo, Lerner and Lowe. Then there are those singular classics from the 50s and 60s that may...
- 9/5/2019
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Still beloved and routinely revived 55 years after its Broadway debut — including a Yiddish-language version now playing in New York — “Fiddler on the Roof” is a popular phenomenon that shows no sign of subsiding. Max Lewkowicz’s “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” provides an entertaining if hardly exhaustive overview of how the unlikely success came to be. The story it tells might easily have filled an engrossing documentary twice the length of this competent, not-particularly-inspired one.
Someday, doubtless, we’ll get that deeper dive. Meanwhile, “Miracle” opens on multiple screens Aug. 23 in New York and Los Angeles, expanding to more U.S. cities the following week, and with a high likelihood of finding a readymade audience nearly everywhere it goes.
Dedicated to recently deceased producer Hal Prince, “Miracle” benefits from the fact that so many of the show’s original prime movers were still alive to be interviewed: not director Jerome Robbins or star Zero Mostel,...
Someday, doubtless, we’ll get that deeper dive. Meanwhile, “Miracle” opens on multiple screens Aug. 23 in New York and Los Angeles, expanding to more U.S. cities the following week, and with a high likelihood of finding a readymade audience nearly everywhere it goes.
Dedicated to recently deceased producer Hal Prince, “Miracle” benefits from the fact that so many of the show’s original prime movers were still alive to be interviewed: not director Jerome Robbins or star Zero Mostel,...
- 8/23/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
How exactly does a 1964 musical, based on the impoverished and persecuted Jewish shtetl community in 1905 Imperial Russia, still connect to audiences around the world? That’s the question director Max Lewkowicz seeks to uncover in his documentary “Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles.”
Rather than exploring the 55-year-long success of “Fiddler on the Roof” and serving something akin to a highlight reel, Lewkowicz wisely chooses to take us on the journey of the show’s complicated and dramatic beginnings. He instead focuses on the key players of the original production through interviews with lyricist Sheldon Harnick as well as previously recorded interviews with composer Jerry Bock and librettist Joseph Stein, both of whom passed in 2010.
The story the three key players weave regarding the creation of the musical really touches on how the show pays homage to its source material, the original short stories of Russian-Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem. Each interview is wisely placed and timed,...
Rather than exploring the 55-year-long success of “Fiddler on the Roof” and serving something akin to a highlight reel, Lewkowicz wisely chooses to take us on the journey of the show’s complicated and dramatic beginnings. He instead focuses on the key players of the original production through interviews with lyricist Sheldon Harnick as well as previously recorded interviews with composer Jerry Bock and librettist Joseph Stein, both of whom passed in 2010.
The story the three key players weave regarding the creation of the musical really touches on how the show pays homage to its source material, the original short stories of Russian-Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem. Each interview is wisely placed and timed,...
- 8/22/2019
- by Yolanda Machado
- The Wrap
A documentary about a 55-year-old musical sounds like a quaint and nostalgic cinematic scrap book. But Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles turns out be an exhilarating, expansive, warts-and-all look into 1964 Broadway phenomenon Fiddler on the Roof. Director Max Lewkowicz delivers an emotional powerhouse in which none of the compromises, growing pains and ego wars of Fiddler’s creation are left out in the name of tribute. The film is dedicated to the memory of Hal Prince, who produced the original show and died last month, and truly documents what goes into the creation of a masterpiece.
- 8/21/2019
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
The song “My Bathroom” from 1969 never made it onto the Billboard charts. But that doesn’t mean this ode to the commode—with lyrics like “My bathroom, my bathroom, is my very special room, where I primp and fuss and groom”—isn’t worthy of deeper appreciation.
That’s the guiding spirit of Bathtubs Over Broadway, the documentary directed by Dava Whisenant that explores the “golden age” of industrial musicals when companies great and small commissioned Broadway-style shows to celebrate their products and motivate sales staff.
“That kind of heyday of corporate musicals was between the ’50s and mid-’80s. Huge companies like Ford, McDonald’s, to very small companies that made cafeteria steam tables, all these companies were doing musicals,” Whisenant tells Deadline. “These weren’t commercials, they weren’t jingles, they were a full-blown book musical…with a storyline, making that salesman and his team feel better about the work they were doing.
That’s the guiding spirit of Bathtubs Over Broadway, the documentary directed by Dava Whisenant that explores the “golden age” of industrial musicals when companies great and small commissioned Broadway-style shows to celebrate their products and motivate sales staff.
“That kind of heyday of corporate musicals was between the ’50s and mid-’80s. Huge companies like Ford, McDonald’s, to very small companies that made cafeteria steam tables, all these companies were doing musicals,” Whisenant tells Deadline. “These weren’t commercials, they weren’t jingles, they were a full-blown book musical…with a storyline, making that salesman and his team feel better about the work they were doing.
- 6/21/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
"Fiddler captures those big moments in our lives, moments of transition..." Roadside Attr. has unveiled an official trailer for a doc film titled Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, from filmmaker Max Lewkowicz. The documentary tells the origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving. 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 1905. It first premiered on Broadway in 1964, and was the first musical at the time to surpass 3,000 performances during its original run. This looks like a very fascinating, lively look back at Broadway (and cinema) history. Here's the first trailer for Max Lewkowicz's doc Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,...
- 6/12/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chicago – How does one man rediscover and revive an art form? This question is answered in the magnificent “Bathtubs Over Broadway,” a 2018 documentary about the quest of comedy writer Steve Young, as he saves the legacy of the “industrial musical,” a form of American corporate entertainment from the 1950s through the ‘70s. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com will host a screening of the film on Monday, May 13th, 2019 (7:30pm), and facilitate a discussion afterward, at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, Ill. To purchase tickets, click here.
To experience “Bathtubs…” is to witness a miracle. What began as a minor comedy bit on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where Steve Young was a writer, morphed into a bit of an obsession for the low-keyed jokester. His delving into the industrial musical began with the souvenir records from these shows, done in very limited runs. Young then discovered that corporations like Alcoa,...
To experience “Bathtubs…” is to witness a miracle. What began as a minor comedy bit on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where Steve Young was a writer, morphed into a bit of an obsession for the low-keyed jokester. His delving into the industrial musical began with the souvenir records from these shows, done in very limited runs. Young then discovered that corporations like Alcoa,...
- 5/13/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Be More Chill and What The Constitution Means To Me, currently on Broadway, are among the just-announced Lucille Lortel Award nominees for their previous Off Broadway versions.
The Lortels, which honor Off Broadway productions, mark a sort of unofficial kick-off to New York’s theater awards season. Broadway’s Tony Award nominations will be announced Tuesday, April 30.
Winners of the 34th annual Lortel Awards will be announced Sunday, May 5 at an event hosted by Wayne Brady.
Another nominated Off Broadway production that later made its way to Broadway is Mike Birbiglia’s The New One, nominated in the Outstanding Solo Show category.
Tying for most Lortel nominations are Classic Stage Company’s Carmen Jones starring Anika Noni Rose and Ars Nova’s Rags Parkland Sings The Songs Of The Future, each with six nominations.
The nominations were announced today by the Off-Broadway League. The 34th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards will be handed out Sunday,...
The Lortels, which honor Off Broadway productions, mark a sort of unofficial kick-off to New York’s theater awards season. Broadway’s Tony Award nominations will be announced Tuesday, April 30.
Winners of the 34th annual Lortel Awards will be announced Sunday, May 5 at an event hosted by Wayne Brady.
Another nominated Off Broadway production that later made its way to Broadway is Mike Birbiglia’s The New One, nominated in the Outstanding Solo Show category.
Tying for most Lortel nominations are Classic Stage Company’s Carmen Jones starring Anika Noni Rose and Ars Nova’s Rags Parkland Sings The Songs Of The Future, each with six nominations.
The nominations were announced today by the Off-Broadway League. The 34th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards will be handed out Sunday,...
- 4/3/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, “Gone with the Wind” sets a new record, “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” is acquired, and Tracy Oliver signs with Topic Studios.
Event Cinema Record
The 80th anniversary release of “Gone with the Wind” has grossed $2.23 million in six nationwide screenings on four dates — a record as the highest-grossing classic film for Fathom Events.
The previous record was set in January by Fathom’s re-release of the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” with $2 million. Fathom said its re-releases of “My Fair Lady” and “Dirty Dancing” in February have given it $5.5 million at the classic film box office in 2019.
Both “The Wizard of Oz” and “My Fair Lady” were presented as part of Fathom Events’ TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Turner Classic Movies. The series continues with “To Kill a Mockingbird” in March; “Ben-Hur” in April; and “True Grit” and 1989’s “Steel Magnolias” in May.
Event Cinema Record
The 80th anniversary release of “Gone with the Wind” has grossed $2.23 million in six nationwide screenings on four dates — a record as the highest-grossing classic film for Fathom Events.
The previous record was set in January by Fathom’s re-release of the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” with $2 million. Fathom said its re-releases of “My Fair Lady” and “Dirty Dancing” in February have given it $5.5 million at the classic film box office in 2019.
Both “The Wizard of Oz” and “My Fair Lady” were presented as part of Fathom Events’ TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Turner Classic Movies. The series continues with “To Kill a Mockingbird” in March; “Ben-Hur” in April; and “True Grit” and 1989’s “Steel Magnolias” in May.
- 3/21/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have co-acquired worldwide rights to Max Lewkowicz'sFIDDLER A Miracle Of Miracles. The documentary tells the story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals,Fiddler on The Roofand its creative roots in early 1960s New York. The film includes interviews with the show's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, legendary producer Hal Prince, original cast members, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as rare archival footage of renowned choreographer Jerome Robbins. Further insights into the play's legacy and enduring influence come from new interviews with Broadway luminaries and cultural influencers includingHamiltoncreator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein as well as famed authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander. Roadside and Goldwyn will releaseFIDDLER A Miracle Of MIRACLESin theatres this summer.
- 3/20/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The worldwide rights to “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,” Max Lewkowicz’s new documentary, has been co-acquired by Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films.
The documentary tells the story behind Broadway musical Fiddler on The Roof” and its creative roots in early 1960s New York. “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” includes interviews with the Broadway show’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, legendary producer Hal Prince, original cast members, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as rare archival footage of choreographer Jerome Robbins.
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” also features new interviews with Broadway luminaries and cultural influencers including “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein, and famed authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Also Read: Leonard Cohen Sundance Documentary 'Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love' Acquired by Roadside Attractions
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” was directed by Max Lewkowicz — who was...
The documentary tells the story behind Broadway musical Fiddler on The Roof” and its creative roots in early 1960s New York. “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” includes interviews with the Broadway show’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, legendary producer Hal Prince, original cast members, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as rare archival footage of choreographer Jerome Robbins.
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” also features new interviews with Broadway luminaries and cultural influencers including “Hamilton” and “In the Heights” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein, and famed authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Also Read: Leonard Cohen Sundance Documentary 'Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love' Acquired by Roadside Attractions
“Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” was directed by Max Lewkowicz — who was...
- 3/20/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Drink, l’chaim…to life! Max Lewkowicz’s Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles has found a home at Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films. The two companies have co-acquired worldwide rights to the documentary that tells the story behind one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof and its creative roots in early 1960s New York. The docu is slated to be released in theatres this summer.
The film includes interviews with the show’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, legendary producer Hal Prince as well as original cast members such as Austin Pendleton. The docu takes a deep dive into the musical based on the stories by Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem and features rare archival footage of renowned choreographer Jerome Robbins.
In addition to the interviews with the creators and original cast members, the docu features numerous Broadway luminaries and cultural influencers including Hamilton godfather Lin-Manuel Miranda,...
The film includes interviews with the show’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, legendary producer Hal Prince as well as original cast members such as Austin Pendleton. The docu takes a deep dive into the musical based on the stories by Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem and features rare archival footage of renowned choreographer Jerome Robbins.
In addition to the interviews with the creators and original cast members, the docu features numerous Broadway luminaries and cultural influencers including Hamilton godfather Lin-Manuel Miranda,...
- 3/20/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired worldwide rights to Max Lewkowicz's Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, a documentary about the creation of the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof. Roadside and Goldwyn will release the film theatrically this summer.
The doc includes interviews with the show's lyricist, Sheldon Harnick, producer Hal Prince and original castmembers, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as archival footage of its choreographer, Jerome Robbins. It also features interviews with such Broadway figures as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol and Harvey Fierstein, as well as authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Fiddler ...
The doc includes interviews with the show's lyricist, Sheldon Harnick, producer Hal Prince and original castmembers, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as archival footage of its choreographer, Jerome Robbins. It also features interviews with such Broadway figures as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol and Harvey Fierstein, as well as authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Fiddler ...
- 3/20/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired worldwide rights to Max Lewkowicz's Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, a documentary about the creation of the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof. Roadside and Goldwyn will release the film theatrically this summer.
The doc includes interviews with the show's lyricist, Sheldon Harnick, producer Hal Prince and original castmembers, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as archival footage of its choreographer, Jerome Robbins. It also features interviews with such Broadway figures as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol and Harvey Fierstein, as well as authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Fiddler ...
The doc includes interviews with the show's lyricist, Sheldon Harnick, producer Hal Prince and original castmembers, such as Austin Pendleton, as well as archival footage of its choreographer, Jerome Robbins. It also features interviews with such Broadway figures as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chaim Topol and Harvey Fierstein, as well as authors Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.
Fiddler ...
- 3/20/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chicago – There are cultural heroes, and then there is comedy writer Steve Young. Through sheer happenstance, he began a journey that ended up with a rediscovery of an art form that without Young’s intervention would have died. The U.S. corporation Broadway-style “industrial musical,” which highlighted products or sales meetings in a song and dance presentation, were at its peak popularity from the 1950s through the ‘70s. “Bathtubs Over Broadway” is Young’s documentary of appreciation for those shows and and his intervention to revive them.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
To experience “Bathtubs…” is to witness a miracle. What began as a minor comedy bit on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where Steve Young was a writer, morphed into a bit of an obsession for the low-keyed jokester. His delving into the corporate show culture began with the souvenir records from these shows, done in very limited runs. After seeing the names associated with these shows…...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
To experience “Bathtubs…” is to witness a miracle. What began as a minor comedy bit on “Late Night with David Letterman,” where Steve Young was a writer, morphed into a bit of an obsession for the low-keyed jokester. His delving into the corporate show culture began with the souvenir records from these shows, done in very limited runs. After seeing the names associated with these shows…...
- 1/8/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
If Dava Whisenant’s joyous documentary “Bathtubs Over Broadway” served only to spotlight the occluded corner of American musical history known as the “industrial musical,” it would be perfectly entertaining in its own right. But in its portrayal of one man’s unusual journey, the film has much to say about turning ironic amusement into unalloyed appreciation.
And if you don’t know what an “industrial musical” is, relax — we were never meant to see them in the first place. Starting in the 1950s, these shows were crafted to entertain and inspire the sales reps from companies like Xerox and General Electric. Expensive and elaborate, they were often performed only a few times, at conventions or sales meetings, and they mostly exist now on souvenir soundtrack recordings (of shows with names like “Diesel Dazzle” or “The Bathrooms Are Coming!”) that weren’t intended to be shared with the general public.
And if you don’t know what an “industrial musical” is, relax — we were never meant to see them in the first place. Starting in the 1950s, these shows were crafted to entertain and inspire the sales reps from companies like Xerox and General Electric. Expensive and elaborate, they were often performed only a few times, at conventions or sales meetings, and they mostly exist now on souvenir soundtrack recordings (of shows with names like “Diesel Dazzle” or “The Bathrooms Are Coming!”) that weren’t intended to be shared with the general public.
- 11/29/2018
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The North American tour of the Tony Award - nominated Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof in underway. A beloved theatrical classic from Tony-winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is directed by Tony-Award winner Bartlett Sher South Pacific, The King and I and choreographed by the acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter.
- 10/4/2018
- by Monroe George
- BroadwayWorld.com
Joe Masteroff, the librettist for two of Broadway’s most beloved musicals – Cabaret and She Loves Me – died today at the Actors Fund Home in Engelwood, New Jersey. He was 98 years old.
His death was confirmed by Howard Marren, a friend and his literary executor.
Born in Philadelphia to the owners of a notions store, Masteroff served in the Army during World War II, so thereafter qualified for free classes at the American Theatre Wing’s Professional School. He studied playwriting under the tutelage of Tea and Sympathy author Robert Anderson, and several years later his own play The Warm Peninsula starring Julie Harris toured nationally before arriving on Broadway.
Harold Prince saw The Warm Peninsula and hired Masteroff to adapt a musical based on an Hungarian play by Miklos Laszlo, which became 1963’s She Loves Me, with music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and direction by Prince. The...
His death was confirmed by Howard Marren, a friend and his literary executor.
Born in Philadelphia to the owners of a notions store, Masteroff served in the Army during World War II, so thereafter qualified for free classes at the American Theatre Wing’s Professional School. He studied playwriting under the tutelage of Tea and Sympathy author Robert Anderson, and several years later his own play The Warm Peninsula starring Julie Harris toured nationally before arriving on Broadway.
Harold Prince saw The Warm Peninsula and hired Masteroff to adapt a musical based on an Hungarian play by Miklos Laszlo, which became 1963’s She Loves Me, with music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and direction by Prince. The...
- 9/28/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Casting has been announced for the North American tour of the Tony Award - nominated Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. A beloved theatrical classic from Tony-winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is directed by Tony-Award winner Bartlett Sher South Pacific, The King and I and choreographed by the acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter.
- 9/13/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Tribeca Film Festival may not rival the bidding wars of Sundance or studio tentpoles at SXSW. But it has cornered the market on cast reunions and Q&A sessions. This year is no exception, as the festival has lined up the makers of “Schindler’s List” (including Steven Spielberg), “Scarface” (Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer) and conversations from Bradley Cooper and John Legend. And then there are the movies playing throughout Manhattan, from April 18 through 29. Here are nine titles that could break out on the indie scene.
“Mapplethorpe”
“The Crown” star Matt Smith trades Buckingham Palace for the world of Bdsm with a turn as Robert Mapplethorpe, the famous photography who drew acclaim and provoked controversy for his graphic depictions of underground sex. The film covers Mapplethorpe’s rise from the outer edges of New York’s arts scene to the center of high culture, ending with his tragic death...
“Mapplethorpe”
“The Crown” star Matt Smith trades Buckingham Palace for the world of Bdsm with a turn as Robert Mapplethorpe, the famous photography who drew acclaim and provoked controversy for his graphic depictions of underground sex. The film covers Mapplethorpe’s rise from the outer edges of New York’s arts scene to the center of high culture, ending with his tragic death...
- 4/18/2018
- by Brent Lang and Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
In late April, theater lovers devote most of their attention to the clutch of Broadway shows rushing to open before the eligibility cutoff for Tony nominations. But this year fans should be keeping an eye on things downtown too: New projects by or about Broadway talent aren’t onstage. They’re at a film festival — the Tribeca Film Festival (running April 18-29), where Terrence McNally, Howard Ashman, Michael Mayer and Stephen Karam are all in the mix.
Every Act of Life (pictured top)
Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross’ documentary, making its world premiere at the festival, chronicles the life of McNally, the veteran, out-and-proud playwright and four-time Tony winner behind “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Ragtime,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and more. The biopic — which counts Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston among those involved — touches on everything from McNally’s romance with Edward Albee to...
Every Act of Life (pictured top)
Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross’ documentary, making its world premiere at the festival, chronicles the life of McNally, the veteran, out-and-proud playwright and four-time Tony winner behind “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Ragtime,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and more. The biopic — which counts Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston among those involved — touches on everything from McNally’s romance with Edward Albee to...
- 4/10/2018
- by Gordon Cox
- Variety Film + TV
Rothschild amp Sons, a musical by Broadway songwriting legends Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and Tony-nominated writer Sherman Yellen, directed by Jeffrey B.Moss, is the story of Mayer Rothschild, his wife and sons, who despite being trapped behind ghetto walls, dream of a day when they are no longer locked in or anyone like them locked out.
- 10/30/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
I had the great honor and pleasure to talk to the legendary Pulitzer Prize winning, Tony and Grammy Award winning, lyricist, Sheldon Harnick, and his lovely, celebrated photographer, actress, singer, dancer, wife, Margery Harnick, about their lovely collaboration on a book about the koi fish, with their son, Matthew Harnick. We talk not only about the photographic book and Mr, Harnick's brilliant, storytelling Haiku poetry, but we talk about his amazing career.
- 9/7/2017
- by Keith Price's Curtain Call
- BroadwayWorld.com
Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick and his wife, photographer Margery Harnick, have just released their secondbook, Koi A Modern Folktale. Their book captures the true beauty of this wonderful sea creature with stunning photographs by Margery and an enchanting Haiku by Sheldon. The authors will be appearing for a book signing and conversation at Book Culture.
- 8/1/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Margery Gray Harnick and Matt Harnick have joined their talents for photography with Sheldon Harnick's lyrical writing to publish 'Koi A Modern Folktale', available today, June 21, 2017.
- 6/21/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, The Nearness of You and AsTime Goes By the songs are standards, but who wrote them We celebrate the unsung wordsmiths behind some of the world's greatest songs - stellar artists like Leo Robin, Mack Gordon, Al Dubin and more - in the latest Rob Fisher An American in Paris and Sheldon Harnick Fiddler on the Roof collaboration for LampL.
- 4/6/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
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