Fiddler on the Roof was one of the most successful musicals of the "golden age of musicals". Its original Broadway production in 1964 was the first run of a musical in history to surpass the 3,000 performance mark. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed.Kantor, p. 302: "The 1960s was the decade that nurtured long-running blockbusters in unprecedented quantities: ten musicals passed the rarefied 1,000 performance mark, three of them passed the 2,000 mark (Hello, Dolly!, a Merrick smash, grossed $27 million on Broadway), and one, Fiddler on the Roof, passed the 3,000 mark, earning back $1,574 for every dollar put into it." A successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international popularity, continuing to be a very popular choice for school and community productions.TIME magazine reported in its May 26, 2008, issue, p. 51, that this musical ranked as the seventh most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007.
The original production was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction, and Robbins won for best direction and choreography. Zero Mostel and Maria Karnilova won as best leading actor and featured actress. In 1972, the show won a special Tony on becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Its revivals have also been honored. At the 1981 Tony Awards, Bernardi was nominated as best actor. Ten years later, the 1991 revival won for best revival, and Topol was nominated as best actor. The 2004 revival was nominated for six Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards but won none. The 2007 West End revival was nominated for Olivier Awards for best revival, and Goodman was nominated as best actor.
The musical's major awards and nominations are listed below:
Original Broadway production Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 1965 Tony Award Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Joseph Stein Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Zero Mostel Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Maria Karnilova Best Producer Harold Prince Best Director Jerome Robbins Best Composer and Lyricist Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick Best Choreography Jerome Robbins Best Costume Design Patricia Zipprodt Best Scenic Design Boris Aronson New York Drama Critics' Circle Award Best Musical Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein 1972 Tony Award (special) Longest-running Musical in Broadway History
1981 Broadway revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 1981 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Herschel Bernardi
1990 Broadway revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 1991 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Topol
2004 Broadway revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 2004 Tony Award Best Revival of a Musical Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Alfred Molina Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical John Cariani Best Scenic Design Tom Pye Best Lighting Design Brian MacDevitt Best Orchestrations Don Walker and Larry Hochman Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Outstanding Actor in a Musical Alfred Molina Outstanding Set Design Tom Pye
2007 London revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 2008 Laurence Olivier Award Best Musical Revival Best Actor in a Musical Henry Goodman
2015 Broadway revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 2016Tony AwardBest Revival of a MusicalBest Actor in a MusicalDanny BursteinBest ChoreographyHofesh Shechter Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Outstanding Actor in a Musical Danny Burstein Outstanding Director of a Musical Bartlett Sher Drama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical Distinguished Performance Danny Burstein Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) Outstanding Actor in a Musical Danny Burstein 2017 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album
2018 Yiddish production
Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 2019 Lucille Lortel AwardsOutstanding Revival Outstanding Director Joel Grey Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical Steven Skybell Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Jackie Hoffman Drama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical Distinguished Performance Award Steven Skybell Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Outstanding Actor in a Musical Steven Skybell Outstanding Director of a Musical Joel Grey Outstanding Orchestrations Larry Blank Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Revival of a Musical Outstanding Director of a Musical Joel Grey Outstanding Actor in a Musical Steven Skybell Chita Rivera AwardsOutstanding Ensemble Off-Broadway Alliance AwardsBest Musical Revival New York Drama Critics' Circle AwardsSpecial Citation
2019 West End revival Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result 2019Evening Standard Theatre AwardsBest Musical Best Musical PerformanceAndy Nyman 2020Laurence Olivier AwardsBest Musical Revival Best Actor in a MusicalAndy Nyman Best Actress in a MusicalJudy Kuhn Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a MusicalStewart Clarke Best DirectorTrevor Nunn Best Theatre ChoreographerMatt Cole Best Costume DesignJonathan Lipman Best Original Score or New OrchestrationsJason Carr
2024 London revival +YearAward CeremonyCategoryNomineeResult2025Laurence Olivier AwardsBest Musical Revival Best Actor in a MusicalAdam Dannheisser Best Actress in a MusicalLara Pulver Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a MusicalRaphael Papo Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a MusicalLiv Andrusier Beverley Klein Best DirectorJordan Fein Best Theatre ChoreographerJulia Cheng Best Set DesignTom Scutt Best Costume Design Best Lighting DesignAideen Malone Best Sound DesignNick Lidster Outstanding Musical ContributionMark Aspinall
Notes
References
External links
Fiddler on the Roof at Ovrtur Longest-running plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Toronto, Melbourne, Paris, Vienna, and Berlin List of longest-running Broadway productions from Playbill.com