Fidddler on the Roof's "To Life" Surprises at Jewish and Non-Jewish Weddings

At a Jewish wedding in Johannesburg, South Africa this summer, the father of the bride staggered over to a waiter and asked him for a drink. 

The waiter obliged, not only with a drink, but with an introduction to a four-minute song and dance number -- the "To Life - L'Chaim" song from Fiddler on the Roof. 

Joined by the father of the bride and brothers of the bride and groom, the waiter (or was he a chef?) put on a full production to the surprise and delight of the bride, the wedding party and the guests.

But this summer's performance wasn't the first time that the Fiddler song was used as a wedding surprise. Three years ago, the New York Times reported that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Puerto Rican composer and star of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical In the Heights staged a similar surprise for his wife, Vanessa. Neither are Jewish, but that didn't prevent Miranda from gathering friends and family and rehearsing a full-on production number with them in secret for a month leading up to the wedding.

Here are both videos for your enjoyment.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)





(A tip of the kippah to Meyer Berkowitz for bringing the video to our attention.)