Visual Style

Jerome Robbins wanted Marc Chagall, the great Jewish Russian painter, to design the sets for Fiddler. He did not have the time but his lush, impressionist paintings were the principle influence on the visual style of the show. Boris Aronson, the talented scenic designer, took on the project and his miraculous Chagall-like drawings became the visual “bible” for the show. We incorporate Aronson’s original sketches as well as the beautiful sketches of Patricia Zipprodt, the costume designer, to give the viewer a sense of the granular details of the original show.

Dynamic footage from the current revival on Broadway highlighting the athletic prowess of the dancers, the spare and haunting set, the movement of Tevye as he throws himself into the joy of music, is a primary thread of the film. We also integrate footage from a variety of Fiddler productions – a recent production in Thailand, a middle school in Brooklyn, the film Fiddler on the Roof, among others. The film also includes original animation sequences in the style of Marc Chagall.