December 22, 2011
Laemmle to host ‘Fiddler’ sing-along on Christmas Eve
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For the fourth consecutive year, Laemmle Theatres is hosting a Christmas Eve sing-along screening of “Fiddler on the Roof,” Norman Jewison’s film adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical. The Dec. 24 event will be held 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills.
The family-owned independent film chain, Laemmle Theatres, organizes the screening each year with Jewish Angelenos in mind.
“We know by tradition it can be a little intimidating being Jewish and figuring out what to do [on Christmas Eve],” said Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theatres.
Last year, approximately 200 people — mothers and daughters, middle-age friends and senior citizens — attended the sing-along screening.
“Matchmaker,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and “If I Were a Rich Man” are among the songs in the film, written by composer-lyricist team Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick — originally for the 1964 Broadway production of “Fiddler.” Upon entering the theater this Christmas Eve, attendees will receive lyric sheets.
In 2008, Laemmle screened “Fiddler” as a way of filling a time slot at Laemmle’s Royal Theater in West Los Angeles after a film there had been bumped. The film has bounced between that location and one of Laemmle’s San Fernando Valley theaters.
This year’s venue is slightly smaller than the Royal — a film playing for an Oscar-qualifying one-week run at the Royal made it impossible to fit “Fiddler” into the scheduling there this year. Laemmle said that if enough people buy tickets in advance, there’s a possibility they will screen “Fiddler” at additional venues.
This year’s event is unique because it takes place during the fourth night of Chanukah, a perfect evening for going to the movies, Laemmle said. “Popcorn is cooked in oil, so that makes it a Chanukah meal,” he said.
Of course, non-Jews are welcome to the screening as well.
“Certainly if you’re Jewish it’s a lot of fun,” Laemmle said, “but if you have some non-Jewish friends who like to sing, they can do worse than come out and join us.”
Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. For more information or tickets, visit laemmle.com.
