8: Script and audio, Zero Mostel as Tevye in Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein's Fiddler on the Roof, 1964.

8: Script and audio, Zero Mostel as Tevye in Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein's Fiddler on the Roof, 1964.

When Fiddler on the Roof debuted on Broadway in 1964, the lead role was played by Zero Mostel, a celebrated (and formerly blacklisted) American-born comedian and actor.

Suggested activity: Before playing the clip, give students the relevant line from the script and ask a few of them to perform it. Ask them to read it “Jewishly.” Talk about what features of speech sound Jewish. Have students listen to Mostel’s accent and cadence and have them discuss his performance: in what ways does his voice sound Jewish?

Source: Zero Mostel in "Fiddler on the Roof: The Original Broadway Cast Recording," music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein (1964; RCA, 2003), CD.