Pia Zadora, Chita Rivera
Topol, Sheldon Harnick, Mike Burstyn
The National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene celebrated 100 years with a series of celebrations – 50 years of Fiddler on the Roof and the 90th birthday of Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick. Based upon the stories of Sholem Aleichem, Jerry Bock, Joseph Stein and Sheldon Harnick wrote the theatrical masterpiece ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ which opened on Broadway in September 1964 at the Imperial Theatre and has since traveled the world also becoming the longest running Broadway musical of its time. It has been revived on Broadway four times with a fifth due in 2015. A very successful film was made in 1971.
The Gala celebration at Town Hall featured many of the female members of former casts (including Andrea Martin, Pia Zadora, Cheryl Stern) as well as Joshua Bell on violin, two time Golden Globe winner Topol and director Jerry Zaks. It was a rich, emotional and historical evening of celebration culminating in Chita Rivera presenting an Award to Sheldon Harnick and hearing him singing, with Andrea Martin “Do You Love Me.”
Video: Sandi Durell
Photos: Maryann Lopinto
*Music “To Life” is a paid download from ITunes
