“Fiddler! A Musical” presented musical theater as an experimental tradition. Paying a loose homage to “Fiddler on the Roof”, a Broadway smash that brought Yiddish art to the masses and reshaped Jewish representation in popular culture, the show explored the traditions of 20th-century Jewish performative crafts – from Russia, through Berlin to New York – and their relations to exile, expulsion, and state violence. Premiering in 2023 on the occasion of 10 years of Ariel Efraim Ashbel and Friends, the show was an intoxicating and disorienting ride where the music of composer Ethan Braun, played by the Solistenensmble Kaleidoskop, took center stage. The show featured a team of Ashbel and friends regular all stars, and featured some very special guests such as performance artist Perel and art-pop icon Peaches.
2023: Premiere / HAU Hebbel am Ufer
2024: FFT Düsseldorf, Kampnagel Hamburg
