skygiants | (no subject)

Last year

aquamirage and I went to go see Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. Shortly afterwards,

aquamirage turned up the astonishing news that the Tzeitel we saw -- a very good Tzeitel! -- had so many feelings about the show that she wrote and published her own fanfic sequel, After Anatevka.

After Anatevka is actually about Hodel, not Tzeitel, which makes more sense when one learns that Alexandra Silber also played Hodel in the West End London production. The first section is mostly Hodel Suffering Grimly while she's imprisoned for months waiting to be allowed to join Perchik in Siberia, with frequent flashbacks to Sister Stuff in Anatevka. I disagree with some of her headcanons about how the sisters relate to each other (I liked her Tzeitel very much onstage but she's definitely Wrong about her in prose, ask me why), but I respect the strength of Alexandra Silber's Feelings About Sisters, and I should reiterate that she has many.

She also has A LOT of feelings about the truth and strength and beauty and power of Hodel/Perchik and Tzeitel/Motel, nobody has EVER been in love as much as these kids are, there IS no Tzeitel without Motel! there is NOTHING more important in the world than Perchik's love for Hodel! which, I mean, everyone has their OTPs, live your truth. (As far as I can tell she does not seem to have anywhere near as many feelings about Chava and Fyedka, like, she's not anti, she just mostly avoids the subject.)

Anyway, the second section is mostly from Perchik's POV after Hodel has gotten to Siberia and introduces us to a whole slew of new prisoner buddies - the depressed irritable cellist! the happy-go-lucky old thief! the gay man who murdered his boyfriend! the Simple Peasant who's in Siberia for Unspecified Crimes! - while also flashing back to Perchik's backstory.

If you're curious, according to Alexandra Silber, Perchik:

- is a genius! the most gifted child his community and rabbi have ever seen!
- but was unable to realize his potential because he was raised by a Heartless Dickensian Money-Lending Uncle
- because his Bohemian Mother fled the community and gave birth to him and died!!
- then he goes off to college and becomes a depressed alcoholic and bangs a lot of prostitutes
- but turns his life around after a pep talk from Anton Chekhov during which Perchik helpfully gives Chekhov the most famous line in 'The Cherry Orchard'
- at some point becomes tight with Trotsky and in on Top Secret Socialist Plans but this is never actually shown on the page so it's difficult to know when he has TIME in between being a depressed alcoholic and bouncing off to Anatevka to fall madly in love with Hodel and getting shipped off to Siberia

This is ... a significantly more Dramatic and Important Perchik than I have ever gotten out of the Fiddler canon, lol, and also than I suspect ever existed in Sholem Aleichem's head, but again, if that's what's necessary for your OTP, Alexandra Silber, who am I to say no?

That said, I think my biggest actual irritation with this book is the fact that despite a lot of emphasis on Hodel and Perchik's True Love and how Hodel And Perchik Will Change The World Together, Hodel is explicitly kept out of all Perchik's revolutionary Siberian goings-on until the end of the book, when Perchik dies after being a.) poisoned b.) tortured c.) betrayed in various different ways by three of his best Siberian buddies (the only one who ends up actually helpful is the boyfriend-murdering gay man so while I have SOME qualms about that storyline I guess that is something!) and Hodel has to escape to Carry On His Work by getting a brilliant speech/pamphlet/something that he's been working back to his comrades in Moscow. He'll live on through her! That's nice, I guess, but it would be nicer if Hodel actually got to contribute work of her own? We hear a lot about how Hodel is fiery and opinionated and brilliant and that's why Perchik loves her but we really don't see very much of it in the post-Anatevka sections which is KIND OF a bummer.

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I was really sick last night and so for longer than I would like to admit I thought aquamirage had written the book. /o\

the only one who ends up actually helpful is the boyfriend-murdering gay man

DDD:

oh, no, I haven't even read this book and can already tell you my version of it would be very different.............

What, no pep talk from Anton Chekhov? 0.o

less Chekhov pep talks more sister hijinks

I WANT TO READ

aquamirage's VERSION OF THIS BOOK

(He is also the only one whose crime gets discussed in-depth at all, everyone else it's like 'why are they there? well probably they did crimes I guess who really knows' :/ :/ :/)

SISTERLY HIJINKS! IT'S ALREADY BETTER

He is also the only one whose crime gets discussed in-depth at all

//facepalm

Please tell me how she is wrong about Tzeitel! I AM INTRIGUED

Her Tzeitel is not just the responsible eldest but also REALLY really into Jewish Womanhood and the Importance of the Women's Role as a Partner to her Husband in the Home and doing chores and doing cooking and so on, to the degree that she's frequently seen lecturing Hodel and Chava about it and doesn't seem to get why they'd push back or be frustrated by the limitations of that role -- which, I can see how you'd get there from where she ends up, but it's not my sense of Tzeitel at all. Tzeitel to me always seems like the daughter who glamorizes her responsibilities the least, who has the most awareness of how much work her role entails and how easily marriage can become a trap.

Yeah, I get that impression from Matchmaker alone. She has no illusions about all of this, but she does love Motel and she is prepared for it. Ah well.

the Tzeitel we saw -- a very good Tzeitel! -- had so many feelings about the show that she wrote and published her own fanfic sequel, After Anatevka.

I mean, I don't think I actually want to read or consider it canonical based on your description, but I'm still very impressed.

Edited 2018-01-14 01:58 (UTC)

I tasked Gen with saying this in your Arisia panel about theater if she had a chance, and I don't know if she did or not, but now I really want more actors to write novels based on their thoughts and feelings about their characters. Even if I disagree with their headcanons it's still fascinating to see what they are!

Even if I disagree with their headcanons it's still fascinating to see what they are!

So have you read Andrew Robinson's Garak novel?

NO, but I have definitely been hunting it because it is the other great example of this that I can think of!

NO, but I have definitely been hunting it because it is the other great example of this that I can think of!

I look forward when you find it!

during which Perchik helpfully gives Chekhov the most famous line in 'The Cherry Orchard'

I am possibly focusing on the wrong things here but oh God I hate this trope so much