Theatre Alumni and Faculty Helm Critically-Acclaimed Broadway Production, 'Fiddler on the Roof'

March 11, 2019

“Strikes a deep emotional chord. It offers a kind of authenticity no other American Fiddler ever has.” —The New York Times

One of the most celebrated musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, based on Sholem Aleichem’s classic Yiddish stories and features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. The original New York stage production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins is now being presented completely in Yiddish with English and Russian subtitles. Hal Luftig '84 is the lead producer alongside theatre faculty member Steven Chaikelson as a co-producer, the production is directed by Oscar and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey with the Yiddish translation by Shraga Friedman. Alumna Alana Karpoff '06 is the press agent, and acting alumnus Max Sterling ’17 is the Assistant Director. The show opened to rave reviews at the end of February and has already been extended, its current schedule to close in September 2019. Tickets are currently on sale through June.

After receiving an MFA in Arts Management from Columbia's School of the Arts, Hal Luftig started his career off-Broadway in downtown Manhattan, working in some of New York's most storied and venerable theaters. There, he created fertile ground for up-and-coming talents like Eric Bogosian and Charles Busch, in shows like Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll and The Lady in Question. Luftig has gone on to be one of the leading producers in New York and around the globe. He has won four Tony Awards, including two as lead producer, and two Olivier Awards, also as lead producer. In 2016, Luftig received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY Oneonta.

Steven Chaikelson has been the adjunct assistant professor and theatre management program coordinator for the Columbia University School of the Arts since 1998. He is the first official graduate of Columbia University's joint degree program in law and theatre management. Chaikelson co-authored Theatre Law: Cases and Materials, (with Robert M. Jarvis). Chaikelson has managed and produced theatrical productions on and off Broadway and across the United States. His Broadway theatre management credits include Elaine Stritch At LibertyGeorge Gershwin AloneA Moon for the MisbegottenThe PriceDeath of a Salesman (Broadway and Showtime productions, starring Brian Dennehy); Fool MoonFreak; and Julia Sweeney's God Said Ha!. Chaikelson received his J.D from Columbia Law School in 1993 and his A.B. from Columbia College in 1989.

Alana Karpoff has done press for the following Broadway productions, just to list a few: Oklahoma!Angels in AmericaSchool of RockKinky BootsSignificant Other, and Fiddler on the Roof.

For more information and to book tickets to Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish visit the show’s website.