Zero Mostel vs. Alfred Molina

*bump*

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A ten for Zero.

I think Alfred Molina was great as Tevye. Zero probably played the character as a comic figure for a lot of it, but I think Alfred succeeded in making Tevye a real person.

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This is one of those situations where the original was beyond stellar and just managed to become synonymous with the role, like Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Carol Channing as Dolly. Zero Mostel will always be Tevye. That being said, Alfred Molina was brilliant in the role. His performance was one of the overlooked (and ignorantly criticized) gems of the last decade. I thought he brought a genuine touch to the role that other actors have failed to do with Tevye. He was not only funny, paternal, imposing, and loving as Tevye needs to be, but he was also REAL. Alfred was so believable and honest and that's what I loved most about his work in Fiddler.

I saw both FIDDLERs, and all I can say about the revival, is that I found the entire thing, unfortunate. I adored the original cast, staging, etc. Zero was an event!

H.Higgins,

That's the best words I read about the Fiddler revival and Molina's Tevye. Kudos to you.

I was so moved by Molina's Tevye. It hurt me when I read the cold review later. And I was furious after finding out that people bashing Molina's Tevye yet praising Feinstein's mediocre performance. It is UNFAIR!

I can't compare becuz i didnt see Zero. But i would say that against what i thought, I liked Harvey Fierstein a lot more than Molina in this role. Maybe because of his chemistry with Rosie O'Donnell, who stole the show with her comedic sense and her motherly, but strong character that i thought she played perfectly.

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Updated On: 7/6/06 at 11:35 PM

I also cannot compare Molina to anyone becuase that was my first time seeing a production of Fiddler, other than the film. Molina was fresh, with a very grounded approach to a character who you could do in an outlandish way if you wanted to. he went against that choice, and, IMO, was the glue that held that production together. to this day, the only two things I really remember from the production are the awe-inspiring set and Molina for his wonderfully layered and uncompromising performance.

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I prefer Zero Mostel. New interpretations are fine, but Molina just didn't do it for me. I really enjoyed Harvery Firestein when he stepped in though.

When I think of Tevye I think of a man. A normal, everyday man - not a cardboard cartoon of a slapstick hologram of a man.

Not that I saw Mostel....

But how many of you guys ACTUALLY saw an entire performance of Zero Mostel?

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Although I didn't see either production, I do know from research for my undergrad honors thesis that Mostel often stopped the show with improvised direct addresses to the audience. I know that direct address is written in to the character, but he would add more, and wouldn't always stay in character. Apparently he would add comments to the audience about current events and baseball scores (so I've heard).

Mostel also did this in A Funny Thing Happened..., but given the nature of that show (the characters know they are putting on a show), such comments actually added to the comedy. But it seems to me that breaking character in this way in Fiddler would ruin the experience of the show.

Based on this information, I would have to say that had I seen both performances, I would probably have preferred Molina's.

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Maybe not out of character, but not even out of context?

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