46 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JULY 26, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Photo courtesy of Jeff Simmons
Queens residents talk about involvement in America’s
fi rst-ever Yiddish production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Four actors and a stage manager from
Queens are part of a cast and crew who
are bringing a unique twist to the beloved
play “Fiddler on the Roof.”
From now until Sept. 2, the National
Yiddish Th eater Folksbiene at Museum
of the Jewish Heritage in Manhattan
is playing host to America’s fi rst-ever
production of “Fiddler on the Roof”
or “Fidler Afn Dakh” in Yiddish since
the fi rst time it was done 50 years ago
in Israel.
Academy Award-winning actor Joel
Grey is the director of the off -Broadway
play, which was translated into
Yiddish by Israeli actor/director Shraga
Friedman in 1965.
Production stage manager Kat West
and actors Jennifer Babiak, (Bobe Tsaytl;
U/S Golde) Ben Liebert, (Motl Kamzoyl)
Adam B. Shapiro, (Der Rov/Ensemble;
U/S Tevye and Leyzer-Volf) and
Kayleen Seidl (Ensemble; U/S Tsaytl,
Hodl and Khave) are the Queens residents
involved in this limited engagement.
Th ough none of the fi ve are native
Yiddish speakers, performing “Fiddler
on the Roof” in the language that the
characters in the play would have traditionally
spoken makes sense to them.
“It’s been an honor to be a part of this
cast,” Babiak said. “It’s such a beautiful
show and tells the story of people being
pushed out of their homes.”
Th e actress adds that the fact that they
can see the Statue of Liberty from the
museum reminds them “what our country
is about.”
“Th ere’s so much focus on the issue
of immigration now with people being
forced out of their homes,” Shapiro said.
“’Fiddler on the Roof’ addresses that,” he
added, speaking to the relevance of the
show in today’s world.
Whittling down the cast to just 26
actors was a particularly long process.
West said that 800 people auditioned for
“Fiddler” when they were holding auditions
— the largest audition group ever
hosted at the Folksbiene.
“We had to add audition dates just so
we could see everyone,” the stage manager
said.
Following the audition process, West
said that the actors went through a
process to learn dialogue and songs in
Yiddish. First, they learned the play’s
words in English in order to understand
the story and react appropriately to the
dialogue. Aft er they had memorized the
English, the actors were taught the songs
and dialogue in Yiddish. West shared
that she thought some of the songs,
including “Sunrise, Sunset” were “especially
moving” in Yiddish.
Many of the actors had experience performing
in other languages, but Yiddish
was new to the majority of them. Liebert
talked about his experience performing
“Grease” in Germany over a decade
ago and how when he performed the
songs, there was “not as much emphasis
on accuracy and intelligibility.” But this
experience is diff erent.
“Performing in Yiddish makes the play
somehow deeper, somehow more profound
and authentic,” Liebert said.
Th e group said that the response they
received from theatergoers has been
overwhelmingly positive from those who
speak and understand Yiddish, but also
from those who are unfamiliar with the
language.
“All the feedback has been so positive,”
Seidl said. “My husband doesn’t speak
Yiddish and he just got swept up in it.”
“Th e night of the fi rst preview, we got
a huge response aft er the opening number,”
Shapiro said. “We looked at each
other and said ‘wow!’”
She, West and the other actors added
that knowing the language was not necessary
to enjoy the show. Supertitles in
Russian and English are projected for all
who come to see the show. But for those
who do understand Yiddish, the experience
is that much more special.
Th e cast said that audience members
came up to them aft er the show and
shared that the language in the play
was how their parents and grandparents
spoke to them.
“I was speaking to a gentleman who
was moved to tears. He said he felt like
he was watching his ancestors,” Babiak
said.
Th ose interested in seeing “Fiddler on
the Roof” in Yiddish can visit NYTF.org
for tickets and more information.
From left to right: Kat West, Ben Liebert, Adam B. Shapiro, Kayleen Seidl, Jennifer Babiak.
/
