by Marcina Zaccaria
Photos: Maryann Lopinto
Musical theater fans welcomed the CD release of Fiddler on the Roof on March 18 at the Barnes and Noble on the Upper East Side.
Actors from the musical were on hand to perform songs from the show. Fans who love Fiddler on the Roof remember songs like “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and “Anatevka.” There are also two, new bonus tracks on the CD.
Danny Burstein (Cabaret, Golden Boy, Follies, South Pacific), who plays Tevye, was at the Barnes & Noble event. Adam Kantor (Rent) performed “Miracle of Miracles,” and Melanie Moore, Alexandra Silber, and Samantha Massell sang “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.”
Lyricist Sheldon Harnick, now in his 7th career decade, was present to sign CDs. He earlier noted, “Fiddler is based on the stories by Sholem Aleichem – the Tevya stories – and I studied those stories, and so the lyrics were written for the characters in those stories.” Harnick said he got an excellent sense of the thoughts and feelings of the character before creating the lyrics.
Approximately 100 fans listened to songs before getting their CDs signed, and chatted with cast members. The original musical, with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein was presented in 1964.
The most recent production of Fiddler on the Roof opened on Sunday, December 20, 2015, and is currently running at The Broadway Theatre.
