The original production won nine Tony Awards in 1965 and had 3,242 performances making it the longest running Broadway musical of its time. It is now the ninth longest running show in Broadway history. The whole company looks as if they come from 1905 Anatevka. The men sport real beards and the women, dressed in heavy skirts, dance with a wild abandon. The set is excellent with tilted box houses and trees that float around the stage.
Lighting is superb.
Theodore Bikel has done this role 1600 plus performances to date, yet it is as if he were doing it for the very first time on opening night. Susan Cella as Goldie makes a perfect foil. It was good to see Miriam Baken as Yente. She has done outstanding work in regional productions. It was marvelous to see that she is getting recognition in a National company.