Brookwrite

Fiddling Around

And now for something completely different: a first-person column.

In 2013, I got to play Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" for five weeks. For both of you intellectuals out there, I worked in a few Seder Eggs (aka kosher Easter Eggs) that subtly complemented this musical adaptation of Sholem Aleichem's classic stories.

I wasn't interested in doing things for mere effect. It's hard to hear (or notice) audience reactions up there unless they're big ones. At least, for me it is. The purpose was just to sprinkle a little more fun yiddishkeit into a play already steeped in it.

Early in the play, Tevye's family is getting ready for Shabbat. The girls are running around to finish everything, while Golde tries to tell Tevye he must meet with Lazar Wolf after Shabbat.

Tevye has started praying, and keeps trying to ignore Golde. As Tevye, I started that by audibly mumbling the opening line of a prayer traditionally sung at the start of Shabbat: "Shalom Aleichem."

It got a small laugh at several performances. I suspect some of that was from people who simply knew Sholem Aleichem wrote the original Tevye stories. However, I held out hope that a few of them knew I wasn't being so gratuitous, and instead recognized the prayer and the irony in the moment.

There's more. Golde keeps persisting. Tevye keeps trying to put her off. Later in the conversation, after a quick line trying to dismiss her, I further rebuffed her with a shooing motion and the first words of the final verse of Shalom Aleichem: "Tzeitchem l'shalom" which can be loosely translated as "go in peace."

At one performance, I heard a good laugh at that moment. One of the proudest moments of the entire run.

Here's one more. At the end of the play when (spoiler alert!) all the Jews are evicted and Tevye's packing his cart, I included a special book: A 17th Century Torah commentary that family lore says was written by an ancestor, and which had a late 19th Century edition published in Eastern Europe.

Tevye is not a learned man, but wants to be. I pondered that Tevye might have acquired the book somewhere, not known a thing about it, but treasured it as part of his aspiration. So, a copy of this 1800s book got a brief featured moment, being held up and looked at while loading the cart.

While I'm not one to believe in coincidence, earlier in 2013 I got to meet two of the all-time Tevyes. Before getting cast in "Fiddler," I happened to meet Theodore Bikel. (Thank you, Alliance for Jewish Theatre!) In conversation, I told him I hope to play the role some day and asked what one piece of advice he'd give. He told me to treat the Big G like someone who needs to be argued with.

We also got to discuss "The Sound of Music," which I'd just directed the previous fall -- and he, of course, was the original von Trapp on Broadway. Also, on the way to dinner, I made a Yiddish pun that made him laugh.

About three weeks before "Fiddler" opened, I briefly met Topol. Instead of telling him my reaction upon seeing the film for the first time ("Hey, it's Dr. Zarkov from 'Flash Gordon!'") I asked him the same thing I'd asked Mr. Bikel. He thought about it a moment, and told me to watch the film because anything he'd tell me is in there.

In fairness, the first time I saw the film of "The Music Man," I saw Robert Preston and said "hey, it's Centauri from 'The Last Starfighter.'" And the first time I saw the film of "The Sound of Music," I saw Christopher Plummer and said "hey, it's Reverand Whirley from the 'Dragnet' movie, and he was General Chang in Star Trek VI!"

I'm cultured. I can prove it. My doctor took throat cultures very often when I was growing up.

Doug Brook would discuss the holy books with the learned men seven hours every day. If they thought he was funny. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, like facebook.com/rearpewmirror.