Goyim on the roof: embodying authenticity in Leveaux's Fiddler on the Roof

In February of 2004, critic Thane Rosenbaum of the LA Times accused David Leveaux's Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof of lacking Jewish soul. He opined, The sensation is as if you're sampling something that tastes great and looks Jewish but isn't entirely Kosher (Rosenbaum 2004: E1). Rosenbaum accusations, including his implicit condemnation of the lack of Jews in the musical's cast, invoked an intense critical debate. The resulting furore must be examined in view of a larger issue: authenticity and the musical stage. American musical theatre, as a popular and populist art form, reflects and absorbs the country's highly sensitized identity politics, making issues of ownership and authenticity central. Leveaux's Fiddler on the Roof focuses cultural anxiety on these pivotal concerns. Why does meddling with Fiddler engender such angry intensity? In a world where cross-racial casting has become not only accepted, but encouraged, why the uproar over crossreligious casting, which, in theory, involves invisible difference? Can Jewish difference indeed be described as invisible? This paper will examine the broader implications of these questions.