"IF I WERE A RICH MAN"
Now, you've done it!
It sings and sings in my head again!
[TEVYE, The Fiddler on the Roof]
"Dear God, you made many, many poor people.
I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?"
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of the town.
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one long staircase just going up,
And one even longer coming down,
And one more leading nowhere, just for show.
I'd fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks
For the town to see and hear.
And each loud "cheep" and "swaqwk" and "honk" and "quack"
Would land like a trumpet on the ear,
As if to say "Here lives a wealthy man."
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
It's oy-fficial!
A boisterous, openly gay Irish-American comic from Long Island has been tapped to play a devout Orthodox Jewish wife and mother living in a tiny Russian village in the smash Broadway revival of "Fiddler on the Roof."
As first reported by Page Six last week and made official yesterday, Rosie O'Donnell will join the cast of the award-winning musical, portraying Golde, the world-weary spouse of a boisterous and proud milkman.
Her husband, Tevye, is portrayed by Harvey Fierstein, who is also openly gay — meaning two of the most high-profile homosexual entertainers in America are playing a straight married couple.
Jewish and gay groups reacted positively to the casting.
"The choice is based on Rosie's abilities as an actress. It's the sign of a world using merit as a way of choosing someone for a job," said Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Glennda Testone of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation added:
"Rosie's a terrific actress, and I think Rosie and Harvey teaming up is exciting not only for people who can't wait to see these two openly gay icons on stage together, but also for anybody who loves great theater."
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregation of America issued a terse "no comment."
O'Donnell will begin her run Sept. 20 at the Minskoff Theater.
"As a 20-year friend of Rosie's, I couldn't be happier that we will finally share a stage together," Fierstein said in a statement.
"With her understanding of 'Fiddler's' important place in theatrical history, I am positive she will uphold that tradition excitingly."
With O'Donnell and Fierstein, both larger-than-life crowd-pleasers, in place, "Fiddler" is expected to get a much-needed boost at the box office. In recent weeks, the show had only been filling the theater to about 60 percent of its capacity.
Ticket sellers said yesterday that demand for the show has already started to increase with the announcement...
-- Credit: New York Post, August 9, 2005
COMMENT: The marketing geniuses on Broadway have figured out they were trying to appeal to the wrong crowd. They'll pack the theater now. /sarc.
