Fiddler on the Roof | Review of Fiddler on the Roof
While finding the show ‘‘endearing—worthy of
affection,’’ Clurman ultimately finds Stein’s Fiddler
on the Roof to be less than great theatre.
After seeing Fiddler on the Roof (based on some Yiddish short stories; book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick) numerous members of the audience confessed (or proclaimed) that they shed tears of compassion and gratitude; others have asserted that their hearts swelled in elation, while still others were convulsed with laughter. My own reception of the show was cool.
I too found it endearing—worthy of the affection the enthusiasts had manifested. Yet thinking of it in its detail, the text lacked the full savor of its sources; the music...
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