new york (ap) | Harvey Fierstein will play Tevye in the Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” replacing Alfred Molina in the musical-theater classic early next year.
Fierstein, last seen on Broadway as the full-figured Edna Turnblad in “Hairspray,” will join the “Fiddler” production sometime in January, Wayne Wolfe, a spokesman for the show, said Thursday, Nov. 11.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Fierstein said he was offered the role by the revival’s producers, but told them he wouldn’t accept until the creators of the show, composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, as well as the revival’s director, David Leveaux, heard him sing.
“I sang the entire score,” the actor said.
“To me, this is very sacred material,” the four-time Tony winner said. “This is something that means a lot to me, and I wanted to make sure that the people who created it knew exactly what they were getting.
“I grew up as a kid in Brooklyn and `Fiddler on the Roof’ meant everything to us,” said Fierstein, adding that he saw both the original star, Zero Mostel, as well as one of Mostel’s replacements, Herschel Bernardi, in the show. “It was sung at every bar mitzvah, every wedding. My father sang `Sunrise, Sunset’ at my graduation. This show means something to our heritage. Being Jewish is not just a religion. It’s a people.”