Wonder of Wonders

A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Theatre, Broadway & Musical Revue, Fiction & Literature, Drama, Musicals, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Wonder of Wonders by Alisa Solomon, Henry Holt and Co.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alisa Solomon ISBN: 9780805095296
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Publication: October 22, 2013
Imprint: Metropolitan Books Language: English
Author: Alisa Solomon
ISBN: 9780805095296
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication: October 22, 2013
Imprint: Metropolitan Books
Language: English

A sparkling and eye-opening history of the Broadway musical that changed the world

In the half-century since its premiere, Fiddler on the Roof has had an astonishing global impact. Beloved by audiences the world over, performed from rural high schools to grand state theaters, Fiddler is a supremely potent cultural landmark.

In a history as captivating as its subject, award-winning drama critic Alisa Solomon traces how and why the story of Tevye the milkman, the creation of the great Yiddish writer Sholem-Aleichem, was reborn as blockbuster entertainment and a cultural touchstone, not only for Jews and not only in America. It is a story of the theater, following Tevye from his humble appearance on the New York Yiddish stage, through his adoption by leftist dramatists as a symbol of oppression, to his Broadway debut in one of the last big book musicals, and his ultimate destination—a major Hollywood picture.

Solomon reveals how the show spoke to the deepest conflicts and desires of its time: the fraying of tradition, generational tension, the loss of roots. Audiences everywhere found in Fiddler immediate resonance and a usable past, whether in Warsaw, where it unlocked the taboo subject of Jewish history, or in Tokyo, where the producer asked how Americans could understand a story that is "so Japanese."

Rich, entertaining, and original, Wonder of Wonders reveals the surprising and enduring legacy of a show about tradition that itself became a tradition.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A sparkling and eye-opening history of the Broadway musical that changed the world

In the half-century since its premiere, Fiddler on the Roof has had an astonishing global impact. Beloved by audiences the world over, performed from rural high schools to grand state theaters, Fiddler is a supremely potent cultural landmark.

In a history as captivating as its subject, award-winning drama critic Alisa Solomon traces how and why the story of Tevye the milkman, the creation of the great Yiddish writer Sholem-Aleichem, was reborn as blockbuster entertainment and a cultural touchstone, not only for Jews and not only in America. It is a story of the theater, following Tevye from his humble appearance on the New York Yiddish stage, through his adoption by leftist dramatists as a symbol of oppression, to his Broadway debut in one of the last big book musicals, and his ultimate destination—a major Hollywood picture.

Solomon reveals how the show spoke to the deepest conflicts and desires of its time: the fraying of tradition, generational tension, the loss of roots. Audiences everywhere found in Fiddler immediate resonance and a usable past, whether in Warsaw, where it unlocked the taboo subject of Jewish history, or in Tokyo, where the producer asked how Americans could understand a story that is "so Japanese."

Rich, entertaining, and original, Wonder of Wonders reveals the surprising and enduring legacy of a show about tradition that itself became a tradition.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

More books from Henry Holt and Co.

Cover of the book George Washington by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Lady Hahn and Her Seven Friends by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Why Him? Why Her? by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Little Elliot, Big Fun by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Time Sight by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book The Believing Brain by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book The Future We Want by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Housebroken by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book What Was Lost by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book An Experiment in Love by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Scout and the Sausage Thief by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book "M" is for Malice by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Poppy the Pony by Alisa Solomon
Cover of the book Alien Encounter by Alisa Solomon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy