Lyric Opera 2022-2023 Issue 3- Fiddler #2

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 6 On the cover The working title of Fiddler on the Roof remained Tevye deep into the creation of the musical. Indeed, the milkman was the main character in the SholemAleichem stories that provided the work’s source material. “But when it came time to start publicizing the show,” says Alisa Solomon, a Columbia University journalism professor and author of Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof , “they didn’t have a title.” Seeking inspiration for the show’s look—and for a winning name—Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein, the main creators, had been “talking about Chagall a lot, and had a long list of possibilities,” but it seems to have been the original production’s director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, who steered the group toward the final moniker. Robbins even asked the Russian-born painter to provide set design for the show. Chagall was not interested, and the job went to his associate Boris Aronson, whose original curtain paintings bear strong resemblance to Chagall’s style. It seems certain that the musical’s creative teamwould have known Green Violinist , a treasure of the Guggenheim’s collection, though it is just one of numerous works that not only reference Chagall’s homeland, but include images of violinists. Was this exact painting the title’s true origin? “No one knows,” Solomon says. “And new productions have very different aesthetics. But Chagall was definitely hovering over the original.” Green Violinist, 1923-24 Oil on canvas, 77 3/4 x 42 3/4 in. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (Gifted to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Founding Collection) © 2022 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris TWO GREAT WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WI TH LYRIC Take a study break with $20 tickets , plus exclusive events and more. lyricopera.org/next Meet dynamic opera lovers under 45 and access $35 tickets and exclusive events . lyricopera.org/LYP PHOTOS: KYLE FLUBACKER NEXT For college students Lyric Young Professionals