I was in middle school when Fiddler tried out in my home town (DC). I remember the vibe -- and it carried over to NYC, to a point: this is a great show, but what are its long-range prospects, without Zero? In the end, he played Tevye a sliver of its run, and needless to say when subsidiary professional companies are considered, only a handful of people actually saw Mostel in the role. (He opened it in Sept of 1964, left circa August of 1965; the show closed in July of 1972, with Jan Pierce, of all people; there were 15 replacements.) Zero's performance is legendary, yet the show is beloved.
Even Funny Girl, to me the best example of the un-replaceable star syndrome, continued without Streisand. Mimi Hines didn't come in and play it 3 - 6 months. She kept the show going: 12/27/1965 - 7/1/1967. Startling to read again (thanks Alan Scott, for the fact-checker that is ovrtur). |
