By Kenneth Jones
10 Nov 2004

Harvey Fierstein

Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof will have a new Tevye in early January 2005, when Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein slips into the prayer shawl of departing Alfred Molina, a spokesman confirmed Nov. 10.

In recent days, Fierstein — who won a Best Actor Tony Award for playing zaftig mama Edna Turnblad in Hairspray — had been in discussions with the producers of Fiddler about playing the Russian Jewish dairyman, but all were waiting for director David Leveaux to come to New York and meet with the actor.

Molina, Tony-nommed for playing the famed role, leaves the Minskoff Theatre sometime in January, when his contract ends. The exit and entrance dates are being determined, and are not likely to be the previously reported Jan. 2 exit of Molina and Jan. 4 start for Fierstein.

No further casting was announced.

Tevye is the Russian-Jewish dairyman whose three eldest daughters get married to varied suitors in the show. Each union challenges the long-held and cherished traditions of the community, in early-20th century rural Russia.

The Tevye role (based on a character created by Sholom Aleichem) was created in the musical in 1964 by Zero Mostel. Famous Tevyes have included Topol (who played the role on London, on Broadway and in the film), Jason Alexander (in excerpts from Fiddler within Jerome Robbins' Broadway), Herschel Bernardi, Theodore Bikel, Luther Adler, Paul Lipson, Harry Goz and others. Mostel won a Tony Award for playing the exasperated and hopeful patriarch who has a total of five daughters.

Brooklyn native Fierstein, 50, is no stranger to Tonys, having won the prize for Best Actor (Play) and Best Play for his three-act Torch Song Trilogy, for Best Book of a Musical for the libretto of La Cage aux Folles and for Best Actor (Musical) starring in the drag role of Edna Turnblad in the smash musical Hairspray.

His voice is harsh as gravel, and his association with gay roles and gay causes is strong, but a spokesman said Fierstein was hungry to play what is considered one of the greatest "traditional" roles in American musical theatre. If he steps into the shtetl, he'll sing such classics as "Sunrise, Sunset," "Tradition" and "If I Were a Rich Man."

In MCC Theatre's Miscast concert in April 2002, Fierstein and Kristin Chenoweth sang the Fiddler duet, "Do You Love Me?," with Fierstein singing the role of Golde and Chenoweth singing Tevye.

Performances of Fiddler on the Roof continue at the Minskoff Theatre.