Email question received:
Hi Mr. Askland,
I am trying to break down the storytelling structure of Fiddler on The Roof.
I would like to talk to you, briefly, about who is the antagonist. What is
Tevya’s want. What’s his need. What you think the filmmaker’s statement is.
Norm Jewison said Fiddler’s about trying to maintain traditions in a
changing world. Do you think he’s saying that it is important or that it’s
not important to maintain traditions in a changing world.
Kind regards,
Glenn
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My Answer:
Hi Glenn,
First off wanted to say that sadly I have never conducted a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. As a music director it’s on my “bucket list” of shows to produce.
To me the antagonist for Fiddler is change. It’s change coming from the upcoming generation and also from the changing political landscape. In reading in the past I do remember seeing that originally the musical writers’ statement was that the musical was about Tevya the milkman; later they realized the show is really about eroding tradition (at which point they composed the opening number “Tradition”).
I don’t personally feel the film maker’s version of the stage musical play is trying to say the keeping tradition is important or unimportant. I think they are merely showing how difficult it is to keep traditions as the world changes
Tevya states many times that he wants to be rich but we don’t really see that this is a true want. What he really wants is for his family to be happy. He wants to be important, he wants to be rich, he wants things to stay the same – but we see in his actions that what is most important to him is his family’s individual happiness.
These are my feelings. I have not gone through the musical in depth and analyzed it. As a fellow composer of works for musical theater I am very jealous of Fiddler On The Roof’s strong emotional setups, memorable lyrics and melodies. The show is acceped universally as one of the classic Broadway type books and music. Who can’t love it when Tevya is arguing with God in his monologues? So well done.
Hope my notes help for your application. I do have several friends that recently did a production of Fiddler. Hopefully they’ll also post their ideas on your question.
Hello Glenn,
For what it is worth, I choreographed a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” In this role, my storytelling tool is movement and I utilized the Russian soldiers as my antagonists as they provided the strongest visual divide. Stepping back from the cultural divide, the individuals could be friends as they allow for each others differences. The political heirarchy becomes the true bully on the playground. One of Fiddler’s beauties is it has layers to the storytelling so there are many angles for perspective and tension. Golda and Tevya each antagonize one another, but stand as a team against change for tradition. It’s an intricate web, but necessary for depth. For Tevya’s want, look no further than the lyrics to “If I were a Rich Man” in which he struggles between want and need and values. I love his interaction with God and his struggles with tradition and questioning his inherited beliefs. That’s good tension. I think part of the grand statement of the story is simply change comes and one must make choices and accept the consequences that will come.