美国国家公共电台 NPR This Yente Found The Perfect Match, Performing 'Fiddler' In Yiddish

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And finally today, "Fiddler On The Roof." If you think you know it word for word, you're probably not wrong. It's been one of the best-known, most loved and most often staged productions since its Broadway premiere in 1964, but you might not know it quite like this.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character, speaking foreign language).

MARTIN: This version of "Fiddler On The Roof," now on stage in New York, is performed entirely¹ in Yiddish with supertitles in English and Russian. A quick refresher about the musical - it takes place in a fictional² village in czarist Russia in 1905. It's the story of a Jewish dairy man named Tevye who is looking for good husbands for the oldest of his five daughters. The world is changing around him. Jews are going off to America to escape anti-Semitism and to seek a better life. Revolution is stirring in Russia.

A Yiddish production of "Fiddler" was performed in Israel decades ago. Now, that translation is being performed by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene under the direction of Oscar and Tony winner Joel Grey. After I saw this production last week, I sat down with actor and comedian³ Jackie Hoffman, who plays the meddling⁴ matchmaker Yenta, and Zalmen Mlotek, he is the artistic⁵ director at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. And he is the music director for this production. Mlotek gave me a primer on Yiddish.

ZALMEN MLOTEK: Yiddish is the language that was spoken by Eastern European Jews in the 19th century. It actually dates back to the 15th century. But it was the lingua franca that Jews all over Eastern Europe and Russia spoke⁶. This was not the language that they prayed in, but this was the language that they spoke.

MARTIN: So this production is based on the short stories of the famous author Sholem Aleichem. And so that's the language that he would have spoken.

MLOTEK: Exactly.

MARTIN: And that is the language that Tevye and his family would have spoken.

MLOTEK: And that is the actual, I believe, a lot of the reason why the show resonates on such a level. Because whether you understand it or not, you're hearing these expert actors perform and communicate in this language that Sholem Aleichem actually wrote in. So everything comes alive in a different way.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character, singing in Yiddish).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #5: (As character, singing in Yiddish).

MARTIN: The musical was actually written originally in English. Am I correct?

MLOTEK: Correct. Of course.

MARTIN: OK. So why now? What caused this to come to be?

MLOTEK: I think, you know, in the '60s, when they wrote it, the feeling towards Yiddish and ethnicity was very different than it is today. Today, we have a much stronger desire to know our ethnic⁷ background and to really go into it. And the National Yiddish Theatre was in a position to produce this. We realized, if we were going to produce this, we needed to do it in a different way because people have seen it so many times. And they've seen big Broadway productions. We couldn't possibly do a big Broadway production. And that's why we went to Joel Grey, who envisioned this intimate, yet deeply moving portrayal⁸ of the story.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing in Yiddish).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #6: (As character, singing in Yiddish).

MARTIN: I want to go to Jackie for a minute now. Jackie, you're very well known in New York theater. People will recognize you from your many television appearances. You've done a lot of Jewish-themed humor. I'm thinking about - "Jackie's Kosher Khristmas" was one show. But you didn't speak Yiddish before, am I right?

JACKIE HOFFMAN: I did not. I spoke what my mother calls kitchen Yiddish, which were like little words here and there. And I would hear my mother speak to my grandmother. I would hear it. It was just part of the vernacular⁹ in my Jewish social circle. And when I would go to other places and, you know, when I went to Chicago to do Second City, and I started teaching, I would, like, to have my Yiddish expressions. And it became almost a tradition that every cast I work with, I teach them little Yiddish phrases. I've got gentiles speaking Yiddish all over this town now.

MARTIN: Well, yeah because you're Jackie and because it's your thing. OK. I have to ask you to be honest. Was there an element of, this was a little intimidating¹⁰ doing the entire production in Yiddish?

HOFFMAN: I'm always honest. And, yes, it was intimidating - quite. No. I mean, I'm a panicker. You know, I panicked because I couldn't get a one train to come up here. So I'm still shaking from that experience. So any new script I deal with the way I deal with any new project, which is trama. I figure out why I'm going to fail, why this can't happen. But this was like particularly daunting¹¹. This freaked me out. And I said, OK, we have to hunker down. No weed, no booze. Keep the pills.

MARTIN: We'll set aside the pharmaceuticals¹². But how did you...

HOFFMAN: Don't ever set aside the pharmaceuticals.

(LAUGHTER)

MARTIN: What was the process?

HOFFMAN: Well, they - we had brilliant and patient, compassionate¹³ but strict coaching from - if you think Zalmen Mlotek is a name, try Motl Didner, who's the Yiddish coach at the Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. And so everything was phonetically¹⁴ written out in English. So I got the sound of it. And I had a good ear for it from hearing the language growing up. But it was still surprisingly difficult.

MARTIN: Especially because you're not just dropping words in, it's sentences, it's nuance¹⁵, it's conveying the feelings behind the words.

HOFFMAN: Right. Right. And some people would take different approaches. I have friends who say, just learn the sound of it, just learn it like it's jibberish sounds. And don't drive yourself crazy with what each word means. But I had Motl sit down with me. And bless his heart, we went through every single word.

MARTIN: Had you ever played in "Fiddler" before in the English version?

HOFFMAN: This is, astonishingly, my first "Fiddler" ever. It became a running gag - you know, too Jewish for "Fiddler," too - because all the productions, they really wanted to go against type. They wanted to go against the oi (ph) Jew. But here, I fit in fabulous¹⁶. I'm thrilled that this was my first one. This is the best one.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: One of the famous songs is - that I think a lot of people know is "If I Were A Rich Man."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IF I WERE A RICH MAN")

CHAIM TOPOL: (Singing) if I were a rich man, yabadibba (ph) dibba (ph) dibba dibba dibba dum (ph). All day long, I'd biddy (ph) biddy bum¹⁷. If I were a wealthy man...

MARTIN: And in this version, it's - if I were a Rothschild.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character, singing in Yiddish).

MLOTEK: Rothschild was the archetype of the richest person that Eastern European Jewry thought of in those years. And Sholem Aleichem wrote a story called "If I Were Rothschild." So...

HOFFMAN: He did?

MLOTEK: Yes, absolutely.

HOFFMAN: I didn't know that.

MLOTEK: So Joe Stein and Sheldon Harnick decided¹⁸ to base it - base their "If I Were A Rich Man" on that. And the translator in Israel decided to go to the original translation and use Rotchild (ph) Rothschild.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

STEVEN SKYBELL: (As Tevye, speaking in Yiddish).

MARTIN: The Tevye, who is brilliant...

MLOTEK: Steven.

MARTIN: Steven Skybell had performed Tevye in English. Forgive me. I'm going to ask you to speak for him.

MLOTEK: Yes.

MARTIN: Was it hard for him? Or was it harder or easier to transition from having performed it in the English to the Yiddish?

MLOTEK: He - Steven is a genius. Steven wowed us. We saw over 700 people for the cast of 26. He came in, and he wowed us with his Yiddish. And I asked him about where his Yiddish came from. He said he studied Yiddish in college with his brother at some point. And he had always wanted to be in the Yiddish Theatre. And I thought that that was a joke.

Later, I realized he's a professor of drama at Yale. And so he knows theater. He works, to this day, every day, working the lines and constantly getting - finding new nuance. And the range that he brings - I don't have to tell you, you saw - but it is exquisite¹⁹ and so moving for all of us every performance.

MARTIN: And speaking of moving, there were many tears in the audience. And I wondered, has that surprised you that, I mean, for something that - I mean, kids have been performing these songs in their, like, elementary school recitals²⁰ since forever. Right? And so you think you know it, but then to have adults weeping at this, I'm wonder if it's something to do with the current moment that we're in when people are experiencing anti-Semitism in a way that I think many people are shocked by. What do you think? Is it the power of the story?

MLOTEK: I think it's a combination of everything you said. I think, you know, the story is an incredibly universal story that every people on earth has to deal with in terms of being evicted²¹ from a home, separate - families separating, traditions being broken. But, you know, we find ourselves in America, where, who would have thought that anti-Semitism would rear its ugly head in the way that it has? And I believe that there's a deep resonance²² as we tell this story that happened, you know, over a hundred years ago that people are feeling today that has this incredible resonance.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, speaking Yiddish).

MARTIN: That was Zalmen Mlotek, artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, and actor Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yente the matchmaker in the National Yiddish Theatre's production of "Fiddler On The Roof," or, as it should be said properly...

MLOTEK: (Speaking Yiddish).

HOFFMAN: (Speaking Yiddish).

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL, "FIDDLER ON THE ROOF")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character, speaking Yiddish).

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

3 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

4 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

5 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

9 vernacular   

adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名

参考例句：

• The house is built in a vernacular style.这房子按当地的风格建筑。
• The traditional Chinese vernacular architecture is an epitome of Chinese traditional culture.中国传统民居建筑可谓中国传统文化的缩影。

10 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

11 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

12 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

14 phonetically   

按照发音地，语音学上

参考例句：

• In actual speech, a phoneme is realized phonetically as a certain phone. 在实际会话中，音位总是以某个音素的形式得以体现出来。
• Though phonetically alike, they are written with different ideographs. 虽然语音相同，它们的书写却不同。

15 nuance   

n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别

参考例句：

• These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
• I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。

16 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

17 bum   

n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨

参考例句：

• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
• The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

20 recitals   

n.独唱会( recital的名词复数 )；独奏会；小型音乐会、舞蹈表演会等；一系列事件等的详述

参考例句：

• His recitals have earned him recognition as a talented performer. 他的演奏会使他赢得了天才演奏家的赞誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her teachers love her playing, and encourage her to recitals. 她的老师欣赏她的演奏，并鼓励她举办独奏会。 来自互联网

21 evicted   

v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。

22 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。