Fidler Afn Dakh
Fidler Afn Dakh is a Yiddish-language adaptation of the musical Fiddler on the Roof translated and adapted by Shraga Friedman. The adaptation revisits the 1894 collection of Yiddish short stories on which Fiddler on the Roof is based, about Tevye the Dairyman. Friedman created the translation for a 1965 Israeli production. It was produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City in 2018 and transferred Off-Broadway to Stage 42 in 2019.
Productions
Original Production (Israel)
The first Yiddish-translated production opened on June 7, 1965 at the Alhambra Theatre in Tel Aviv.The production was directed by Richard Altman and choreographed by Tom Abbott.
A cast recording, published by Columbia Records, was released the same year.
North American Premiere
The first North American production was produced by the NYTF at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, directed by Joel Grey, featuring musical staging and choreography by Staś Kmieć in the style of the original. Motl Didner and Sabina Brukner served as Yiddish coaches.The production was accompanied by English and Russian supertitles.
The first preview was on July 4, 2018. Opening night was July 15, 2018. The show was scheduled to run for 6 weeks until August 26, 2018, but was extended three times, through the end of 2018, until it was transferred uptown to a commercial Off-Broadway theatre. ''''
Off-Broadway Commercial Premiere
After 4 successful extensions, the Folksbiene's production was converted to a commercial run and transferred to Stage 42 by producers Hal Luftig and Jana Robbins in February 2019. The production featured new musical staging and choreography by Staś Kmieć set design by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, sound by Dan Moses Schreier and lighting by Peter Kaczorowski. The production continued to be accompanied by English and Russian supertitles.A cast recording was released digitally on August 9, 2019 and was released physically on August 23 that same year. The production was announced to close January 5, 2020.
Other Productions
In August 2019 it was announced that the production would have its Australian premiere, to be staged by Opera Australia and the Gordon Frost Organisation. The Australian production was scheduled to open at the Sydney Opera House in September 2020, followed by a run in Melbourne at the Comedy Theatre in November. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of both openings.In September 2025, the cast reunited for a concert version of the musical for its west coast premiere at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. It is also set to make its Canadian debut at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada from May 25 through June 7, 2026, with Skybell once again reprising his role.