Behind the scenes: Hershey Felder’s “Before Fiddler”

Decades before the beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof first delighted worldwide audiences, there was Sholem Aleichem and his beloved character of Tevye the Milkman. When he was only 24 years old, Aleichem published his first story, Tsvey Shteyner (“Two Stones”), and by 1890, he had become a central figure in Yiddish literature. Aleichem was known as the “Jewish Mark Twain”.

Felder plays Sholem Aleichem, giving audiences the true story of what happened “Before Fiddler”. Long before songs like If I Were a Rich Man beguiled audiences, there was Klezmer, the music of the Old World that imitated talking, laughing, weeping and singing. Felder is accompanied by the Klezmerata Fiorentina quartet. Filmed on location where events actually took place, including Florence Synagogue and Nervi, Liguria, this streaming production features the stories and characters of Sholem Aleichem, along with music that is sure to move the soul.

All tickets available (55 US $ / 45 euro per household): theflr.net/before-fiddler

A percentage of ticket sales will be generously donated to The Florentine.