Fiddler On The Roof documentary for December cinema release

Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions have announced plans for a December cinema release for a major new documentary tracing the story of the much-loved classic Fiddler on the Roof.

Directed by Max Lewkowicz, and written and produced by Lewkowicz and Valerie Thomas, Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles will debut in UK cinemas from 13 December 2019.

The first in-depth account of the creation and significance of the iconic musical features interviews with the show’s lyricist Sheldon Harnick and contributions from Hal Prince, Austin Pendleton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Grey, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein, Fran Lebowitz, Calvin Trillin and Nathan Englander.

Revealing 95-year-old Harnick as the inspiration behind the film, co-writer and producer Valerie Thomas said: “It is Sheldon who was the impetus for us to make the film. We saw him speak in lower Manhattan, listened to him tell some of the many stories of how Fiddler was created, and we knew not only was the subject a rich and fascinating foundation for a film, but that Sheldon was the perfect guide.”

With a book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof is based on Tevye and his Daughters (Tevye the Dairyman), a series of stories by author and playwright Sholem Aleichem written in Yiddish between 1894 and 1914 about Jewish life in a village in Imperial Russia at the turn of the 20th century.

Debuting on Broadway in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof became the first musical theatre production to play over 3,000 performances and held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for nearly ten years before losing the top spot to Grease. Featuring Zero Mostel in the iconic role of Tevye the milkman, the show collected nine Tony Awards and was followed by five successful Broadway revivals.

The show opened in the West End in 1967 with Israeli actor Topol as Tevye, the role he had previously played in the Tel Aviv production of the show. His performance in the role would lead to his casting in Norman Jewison’s Oscar-winning film version launching the star’s international career.

First revived in London in 1983 for a four-week season at the Apollo Victoria Theatre with Topol reprising his performance as Tevye. The star would also return in 1994 for two months at the London Palladium before headlining the UK touring production.

The last London revival which starred Henry Goodman opened at the Savoy Theatre in 2007, following a launch run at the Sheffield Crucible. A UK production in 2017, featuring comedy favourite Omid Djalili, was one of the highlights of Daniel Evans and Rachel Tackley’s first season at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

The documentary will be released into UK cinemas just a few weeks after the final performance in the record-breaking West End transfer run of the Menier Chocolate Factory and Trevor Nunn’s critically-acclaimed new staging of the musical.

Angela Thomas