Joseph Stein
Joseph Stein was a prominent American playwright and librettist known for his works that often explored ethnic themes and cultural narratives. Born in New York City, he initially pursued a career in social work after earning degrees from the City College of New York. Transitioning to playwriting in the mid-1940s, he collaborated extensively with Will Glickman, producing popular Broadway shows such as "Inside U.S.A." and "Plain and Fancy," the latter showcasing his empathy for diverse characters, particularly the Amish community.
Stein's most significant achievement came with "Fiddler on the Roof," which premiered in 1964. Based on stories by Sholom Aleichem, the musical faced initial skepticism due to its ethnic focus but went on to achieve monumental success, earning multiple awards and becoming a global staple in theater. Following "Fiddler," he wrote "Rags," which continued the story of its characters as they immigrated to America, but it met with mixed reviews and struggled to maintain its run despite a passionate response from its audience. Stein also adapted "Zorba the Greek" for the stage, earning a Tony nomination. He passed away in 2001, leaving behind a legacy of culturally rich storytelling that resonated with audiences worldwide.
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Subject Terms
Joseph Stein
Author
- Born: May 30, 1912
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: October 24, 2010
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
A master at writing plays and libretti with strong ethnic underpinnings, Joseph Allen Stein was born and raised in New York City, the son of Charles and Emma Rosenblum Stein. He began his professional life as a psychiatric social worker in New York City, having earned a bachelor’s degree in 1935 and a master of social work degree in 1937, both from the City College of New York. He was employed as a social worker from 1939 until 1945. In 1946, he began writing scripts for radio and television and plays for the New York stage.
In 1948, he launched a fruitful collaboration as a librettist with Will Glickman. In the next decade, the two produced seven plays for Broadway, including Inside U.S.A., Plain and Fancy, and Mr. Wonderful. Plain and Fancy, a play about the Amish, was particularly engaging and demonstrated the warmheartedness, understanding, and affection with which Stein approached his characters. In 1959, Take Me Along, cowritten with Robert Russell, enjoyed a modicum of success. He followed this play with the engaging Enter Laughing, a drama based on Carl Reiner’s autobiography, a film version of which was released by Columbia Pictures in 1967. His next play, Fiddler on the Roof, proved to be the most successful play of his career.
Producers were reluctant to put up the money for a production of Fiddler because they considered it too narrowly ethnic, and they feared it would appeal to a small segment of the theater-going public. The play, set in a Russian shtetl (small town) and based on stories by Sholom Aleichem, was a resounding success. In 1965, it won its author a Tony Award, as well as a New York Drama Critics Award and a Newspaper Guild Award. Fiddler has been produced throughout the world and, forty years after its opening, remains a staple on the touring circuit and in summer theaters.
Fiddler ends with the principals leaving Russia for the United States. One of Stein’s subsequent plays, Rags, takes up where Fiddler left off, opening as the principals arrive in America. Rags opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1986, but a scathing review by one of New York’s most renowned drama critics scuttled any hopes for a success comparable to Fiddler. As audiences dwindled, it was obvious that Rags could not stay open, even though the cast members offered to forgo their salaries to keep it running. Following its final performance, the actors joined with the audience in a march down Broadway, chanting “Keep Rags open.” Ironically, subsequent revivals of this play have been well received.
Zorba, Stein’s adaptation for the stage of Nikos Kazantzakis’s novel Zorba the Greek, was another triumph, garnering a Tony nomination for Best Musical, as Rags did in 1987. Two years later, The Baker’s Wife was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award. Stein died in 2001.