University at Albany Hosts Award-winning Theater Critic for 'Fiddler on the Roof' Lecture

'Fiddler's Fortunes: The Mighty Afterlife of a Musical Comedy' will be held Monday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.

Contact(s):  Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 28, 2009) -- Award-winning theater critic and journalist Alisa Solomon (Columbia University) will discuss, "Fiddler's Fortunes: The Mighty Afterlife of a Musical Comedy."  The event will be held Monday, Nov. 2, in the Standish Room, on the third floor of the Science Library of the University at Albany's uptown campus.

Solomon's multimedia lecture illustrates the rich and complex afterlife that Fiddler on the Roof has enjoyed over the nearly half-century since its Broadway debut. The first production ran for a then-record eight years, and the show has been produced, adapted and parodied as often and variously as Hamlet.

The winding line that begins with Sholem Aleichem's Tevye stories and runs through a wide range of artists – from a Yiddish theater impresario, to a blacklisted screenwriter, American sitcoms, an Australian punk rock band, and beyond – traces the surprising way a work of popular culture can serve so many different people in so many different times.

Solomon will present sound and images from some of these versions and examine why this modest musical became – and remains – a beloved world-wide icon.

Alisa Solomon's essays, political reporting, and cultural and theater criticism have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Nation, Forward, nextbook.org, WNYC, and the Village Voice, where she was a staff writer for 21 years. Her book, Re-Dressing the Canon: Essays on Theater and Gender, won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the University at Albany Center for Jewish Studies and co-sponsored by the Theatre Department. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. and is expected to run until 8:30 p.m. Light kosher refreshments will be served.

About The Center for Jewish Studies:
The Center for Jewish Studies serves as a bridge between the public and the Judaic Studies Department at the University at Albany. The Center seeks to foster greater knowledge of Jewish history, thought, culture, and languages through community outreach. The Center extends the reach of the Judaic Studies Department by supporting scholarly endeavors, teaching, and extracurricular and public programs.

For more information, contact Kathaleen Heinzl (kheinzl@albany.edu), Center for Jewish Studies, University at Albany, (518) 442-4130.

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