Actors Who Fall in Love in Yiddish-Language ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Production Get Engaged, Say ‘It Feels Bashert’
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Two actors whose characters fall in love in the Yiddish-language, off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof got engaged last week, Broadway.com reported.
Drew Seigla and Stephanie Lynne Mason play Pertshik and Hodl, whose love story takes them all the way to Siberia in the award-winning show by the National Yiddish Theatre.
“It all feels unquestionably bashert, which translates to destiny in Yiddish,” the couple told Broadway.com via email. “We both feel so lucky and grateful that we found someone who’s our perfect match in every way. We’re over the moon and can’t wait to continue on our journey!”
Mason added, “We just work well together, on and off stage. I’m so grateful the show brought us together and that I get to look into his eyes and tell this beautiful, important, poignant story eight times a week; our relationship goes so much further beyond that and I’m so happy I’ve found my perfect match. [Director] Joel Grey, and the entire team at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, were the best matchmakers we could ask for.”
Seigla proposed to Mason in Central Park on the exact bench where they shared their first kiss and also sat running lines with each other for the last time before their opening night together. He shared on Instagram photos from the proposal.
Actress Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yente the matchmaker in the show, tweeted humorously about the engagement, writing, “The real actress who plays Hodl just got engaged to the real actor who plays Perchik. As the real person who plays the matchmaker, I had nothing to do with it cause I’m real lame.”