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What happens when Brigham Young University puts on an all-Mormon production of "Fiddler on the Roof?" I traveled to Utah to find out.
A journey to the Mormon shtetl Downtown Provo, the small-town home of Brigham Young University, which is nearly entirely Mormon (Mira Fox) Jews love “Fiddler on the Roof.” It’s close to our hearts. But not until last year, when the film was celebrating its 50th anniversary did I learn how popular the show is for Christian audiences.
Apparently, the show is a perennial favorite in Catholic schools and, in the past year, there have been productions in a rural Nebraska, at the evangelical Liberty University — and at Brigham Young University, the flagship university for the Mormon Church.
I was instantly captivated by the prospect of a Mormon "Fiddler." So, I took two trips out to the tiny town of Provo in Utah Valley, where BYU is located.
Flying into Salt Lake City and driving out to Provo — a harrowing experience after not having driven a car for nearly two years — I sat in on rehearsals, talked at length to the earnest and thoughtful students in the cast, and became an accidental advisor on pronunciation and Jewish ritual. Returning for the performance, I snuck homemade babka into the greenroom and gossiped with the actors as they did their makeup. Backstage, the actors prepare for opening night. (Mira Fox) I’m a giant nerd about religion — I have a master’s degree in theology — so I was fascinated by virtually everything I found in Provo and on BYU’s campus. A college town without a bar scene? A university honor code that forbids facial hair?
I discovered, the religion has a deep fascination with Judaism; the LDS temples are even meant to imitate and restore ancient Israelite temple practice.
The tension between tradition and progress in "Fiddler" resonates among LDS communities, though most members have little to no contact with Jews or Judaism.
The cast members spoke openly of struggling with their church’s restrictive stance on LGBTQ people, an issue that felt personal for them — the student who played Tevye is openly gay, an identity usually kept under wraps at BYU.
Peter Morgan sings "If I Were a Rich Man" as Tevye in BYU's production. (Mira Fox) Of course “Fiddler” has universal themes, but it’s also a deeply Jewish show. Watching a production with no Jews in the cast, crew or audience come to life raised complicated questions of what art is and who it's for.
I wanted to see what the students learned from the experience and what the audience took away and whether anyone really understood what this show means to the Jewish community. And most of all, I was wildly curious about the odd relationship between Mormons and Jews.
I've spent the last six months on a wild journey exploring Provo culture and the LDS church, learning about its relationship to the outside world and the younger generation's hopes for the future. I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Read the story
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