Broadway mourns Sheldon Harnick, the master Broadway lyricist behind Fiddler on the Roof. He passed away on Friday, June 23 in New York City due to natural causes at the age of 99, according to his publicist.
His death ends his long and successful career of over 60 years. The Chicago native moved to New York in 1950 and began writing for Broadway soon after. Harnick had many songs in Broadway and off-Broadway revues, but his career changed when he met composer Jerry Bock.
The duo’s first work, The Body Beautiful, was not a hit with audiences. Despite Harnick even thinking his Broadway career was over, director Hal Prince enjoyed Bock and Harnick’s musical score. Prince hired them to write music and lyrics for Fiorello! – a musical about past NYC Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Harnick and Bock’s work won them the Tony Award for Best Musical, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and success that led them to their greatest success: Fiddler on the Roof.
Fiddler on the Roof debuted on Broadway in 1964 and ran for six years. After closing, it was revived on Broadway in 1976. Since, a revival of Fiddler has been on Broadway once per decade since its opening. It is one of the most beloved and most produced musicals of all time, and songs like “Tradition,” “If I were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Sunrise, Sunset” have permanently made their way into American culture, something not all theatrical masterpieces can do.
Harnick differed himself from other lyricists by bringing genuine life to his characters. “I believe I think like a playwright, in terms of character, so that I can find different diction, different voices for the different characters,” he said in a 2014 interview with NPR. His writing stayed focused on the characters, their stories, and their motivations.
“[Harnick’s] lyrics were clear and purposeful and never lapsed into cliché,” said Tony-winning actor and writer Harvey Fierstein, who played Tyeve in Fiddler’s 2004 Broadway revival. “You’d never catch him relying on easy rhymes or ‘lists’ to fill a musical phrase. He always sought and told the truth for the character and so made acting his songs a joy…Jerry Bock’s music. Joe Stein’s book. Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics. Perfection. Nothing compares to the feelings I got singing one of their songs. I grew with each stanza; my heart was released with every thought.”
Although none of his successes could top Fiddler on the Roof, Harnick brought that same character-driven writing to each show he worked on. He never stopped working throughout his life. Recently, he collaborated on a musical adaptation of The Dragon, play by Evgeny Schwartz. Harnick is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margery Gray, their two children, and one of the most beloved musicals of all time.
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