Every year, the MCC Theater in New York hosts a gala called the “MisCast Gala,” where Broadway stars “perform songs from roles in which they would never be cast.” And this year, we were blessed with Katrina Lenk as Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof.
You may know Katrina Lenk from The Band’s Visit and Indecent, two super Jewish shows that made our 50 Best Pop Culture Moments of 2017. Or from a profile in The New York Times in September 2017 that proclaimed “Katrina Lenk Can Quietly Break Your Heart.” But even if you haven’t heard of her, she is a magnificent performer.
She starts playing the fiddle, and then completely captures the spirit of Tevye with hums and her facial expressions. Even though the premise of this performance is a role “in which [she] would never be cast,” we need a genderbent Fiddler on the Roof ASAP.
As Vulture reported, “Lenk brought the crowd to a standing ovation with her performance of Fiddler on the Roof’s ‘If I Were Rich Man,’ complete with fiddle. The sheer variety of her giggles and laughs alone is something to behold.”
The last line gave us the chills, when Katrina changes the lyrics from “If I were a wealthy man” to “If I were a wealthy woman.” Just watch:
