L'Chaim! Joel Grey's Yiddish FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Heads Off-Broadway

According to the New York Post, Joel Grey's hit Yiddish production of the classic musical is headed off-Broadway!

The show, which extended its run four times at the 104-year old National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, will be heading to off-Broadway's Stage 42 (previously the Little Shubert Theatre), and will begin performances this January.

Directed by Academy Award-and-Tony Award winner Joel Grey, the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof has received universal positive praise from critics, including landing a place as a New York Times' Critic's Pick. Cindy Adams of the New York Post wrote the Yiddish Fiddler was "Marvelous. Magical. Magnificent" and "Joel Grey deserves another Tony for directing this history of the shtetl of Anatevka in the shadow of Miss Liberty."

Edward Rothstein of The Wall Street Journal called it "thrilling," and Tim Teeman of The Daily Beast declared the production "a moving triumph" and "piercing delight." "Fiddler' in Yiddish unfolds with majestic simplicity," Barbara Schuler said in Newsday. Ted Merwin wrote in Jewish Week, "Anatevka crackles with a new, more authentic energy." And, Time Out NY's Raven Snook wrote, "Here's hoping that Yiddish Fiddler becomes a new tradition."

"Audiences are falling in love with the Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof in a profoundly resonant way," says NYTF Chief Executive Officer and two-time Tony Award-nominated producer Christopher Massimine. "We are incredibly moved by the positive outpouring the show has received, the glowing reviews, and the passionate anecdotes we hear daily from audiences of all ages, and from all walks of life."

The Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof is based on the Tevye the Dairyman vignettes by Sholem Aleichem and is translated by Shraga Friedman. Tony Award-winning Fiddler lyricist Sheldon Harnick and producer/director Harold Prince have been consulting with NYTF on the production.

In addition to Grey and Massimine, the creative team features choreography and musical staging by Sta? Kmie?, music direction by NYTF Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, casting by Jamibeth Margolis, C.S.A., and an all-star design team of Tony Award winners and nominees including set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, and props by Addison Heeren.

Playing the iconic roles of Yente, Tevye, and Golde are, respectively, comedian and Emmy Award nominee Jackie Hoffman(Charlie And the Chocolate Factory, The Addams Family, Hairspray, Xanadu), and Broadway veterans Steven Skybell (Fiddler on the Roof, Wicked, The Full Monty), and Jennifer Babiak (Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Grease, Evita).

The cast is rounded out with: Joanne Bortsas Sheyndl/Understudy for Yente, Fruma-Sarah, Grandma Tzeitel; Doug Chitel as Understudy for Mendel, Avrom, Nokhum/Mordkhe, The Rabbi and The Constable; Michael Einav as Ensemble/Understudy for Motel Kamzoil, Perchik, Fyedka and The Rabbi; Lisa Fishmanas Grandma Tzeitel/Understudy for Golde and Sheyndl; Lydia Gladstone as Grandma Tzeitel/Understudy for Golde and Sheyndl;Jessica Rose Futran as Ensemble/Understudy for Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava; Kirk Geritano as Avrom; John Giesige as Male Swing; Josh Kohane as Male Swing; Abby Goldfarb as Female Swing; Maya Jacobson as Bielke; Cameron Johnson as Fyedka; Ben Liebert as Motel Kamzoil; Moshe Lobelas Nokhum/Mordkhe; Stephanie Lynne Mason as Hodel; Rosie Jo Neddy as Chava/Dance Captain; Raquel Nobile as Shprintze; Jonathan Quigley as Dancer/Ensemble/Understudy for The Fiddler; Nick Raynor as Yussel/Dancer/Ensemble; Grant Richards as Yussel/Dancer/Ensemble; Bruce Sabath as Lazar-Wolf (Company); Drew Seigla as Perchik; Adam B. Shapiro as The Rabbi/Ensemble/Understudy for Tevye and Lazar-Wolf; Jodi Snyder as Fruma-Sarah/Ensemble; James Monroe Števko as Mendel; Lauren Jeanne Thomas as The Fiddler; Bobby Underwood as The Constable/Ensemble; and, Rachel Zatcoff as Tzeitel.