Colbert Starts a New ‘Tradition’
The ‘Late Night’ host went into full ‘Fiddler’ mode in a clever sketch Tuesday night
March 03, 2016
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On Tuesday night, a seemingly normal Stephen Colbert stand-up routine about the first Starbucks in Italy took a random Jewy turn. It turns out the theater that’s currently showing Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof is adjacent to The Late Show‘s studio on 53rd street, so people often get crossed up while waiting in line for both shows. And on this night, the productions combined forces and performed as one.
I don’t want to ruin the surprise—it’s very clever how the whole thing plays out—but the important thing is we get to see Colbert, a proud and devout Catholic, don a black hat and fake beard while belting out “Tradition” and “Matchmaker” with the best of them. Colbert looks decidedly out of place in his bright blue designer suit, but it’s clear he spent some time practicing, too—and he even ends with a spirited “l’chaim.”
Related: The Gospel of Stephen Colbert
Rose Kaplan is an intern at Tablet.
