“Fiddler on the Roof” to get Movie Remake
MGM is developing a new movie adaptation of the iconic stage musical Fiddler on the Roof and has enlisted Tony Award-winning director Thomas Kail (Hamilton, In the Heights) to direct it.
According to a report by Deadline, Kail will be producing the film along with Aaron Harnick while Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) will be writing the script based on the musical.
Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964 and featured music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and a book by Joseph Stein. It bagged nine Tony Awards including best musical, book and score of a musical, director, and choreographer. It played more than 3000 performances and has since enjoyed numerous revivals.
The musical was based on “Tevye and his Daughters” (or “Tevye the Dairyman”) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on a Jewish family in Tsarist Russia, led by patriarch Tevye (played by Zero Mostel in the original Broadway cast), a father to five daughters. As outside influences begin to influence his community’s lives, Tevye struggles to hold on to his traditions while learning to adapt to a changing world.
In 1971, Fiddler on the Roof was adapted into a film directed by Norman Jewison. Chaim Topol, who originated the role of Tevye in the West End production, reprised his role for the film adaptation. It went on to win three Oscars out of the eight it was nominated for including Best Picture and Best Director.
The musical features iconic songs such as “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life,” “Tradition,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”
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