Fiddler on the Roof's Rebellious Lovebirds Samantha Massell & Ben Rappaport on a Surprise Proposal and Interning with Lin-Manuel Miranda

Samantha Massell and Ben Rappaport play the coolest couple in Anatevka, a dream come true for the young Fiddler on the Roof stars. As feisty middle daughter Hodel and radical tutor Perchik, they share the touching romantic duet “Now I Have Everything,” and Massell lends her golden voice to “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “Far From the Home I Love.” Out of costume and relaxing on a roof deck just south of the Broadway Theatre, Massell and Rappaport enjoy an easygoing banter and mutual admiration for each other’s talent. (She’s a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan; he won the top drama prize while attending Juilliard.) The co-stars chatted about Fiddler, Samantha’s internship with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben’s recent proposal to actress Megan Kane and much more.

Q: What’s the key to your chemistry as Fiddler’s rebellious lovebirds?

SAMANTHA: We have a close relationship offstage, and I think that translates. This will sound corny, but I thank my lucky stars to have a co-star like him, someone I can talk to and feel 100 percent comfortable with.

BEN: I can’t name names, but I have had several experiences in the past where the female lead and I didn’t really have that. It’s like a handshake—you have to have equal pressure, not like this [he extends a limp hand]. You’ve also got to be able to have fun, on and off stage. If you can’t do that…

SAMANTHA: …go home!

Q: Both of you have talked about being obsessed with this show and the roles you are playing. Where did that come from?

SAMANTHA: We both have a deep personal connection to the show. My family left Lithuania the same year Fiddler on the Roof is set, and I’ve been singing these songs since I was a kid. Ben and I ran into each other at our first auditions, and we were both like, “I want this job more than any job ever.” Getting to tell the story of your family is a gift.

BEN: My grandparents saw the show two months ago, and their parents came from the Pale of Settlement [Jewish territory in Russia], so they had a real understanding of it. They were also big Fiddler fans. Herschel Bernardi was their Tevye, and his son Michael is in our show. Seeing them interact with him was very special.

Q: Hodel and Perchik give up everything for love. Would you be willing to do that?

Oooh, I’m not really sure. Obviously, I have experienced love, but it hasn’t come with having to throw anything away. I’m sure to some degree I would.

SAMANTHA: I’m not sure either. But I haven’t experienced love in that way.

Q: Let’s talk about Ben’s marriage proposal to Megan Kane [on January 3], captured on a super-sweet video.

SAMANTHA: The proposal was maybe the best day of my life because I’m a big fan of Megan. The three of us did a [2014 holiday] concert at 54 Below, and she’s an amazing singer.

BEN: I had been planning it for about six months and wanted to do it at the curtain call, but our show is long and there were all kinds of issues. Our stage manager helped arrange for it to happen backstage after the matinee, and everyone was in the wings.

SAMANTHA: Let me just say that I was his first proposal of the day.

BEN: That is true! Two proposals in the span of an hour and a half.

Q: In an episode of Adam Kantor’s “Motel Citizen” vlog, we got a glimpse of the bar cart in Ben’s dressing room. What are the specialties of the house?

BEN: Vodka soda, pretzel rods—and bourbon is always a hit. I like to be a host and make people feel at home.

SAMANTHA: I’m not a big drinker, so he has seltzer and pretzel rods for me.

Q: Ben, you’ve done a lot of TV. What do people recognize you from?

BEN: My first big gig was an NBC series called Outsourced, which [is [mentioned] a lot; I get The Good Wife a lot. These days, it’s Mr. Robot, because that’s such a huge hit. I just wrapped a pilot [Zoobiquity] in Chicago and Bart [Sher, the director of Fiddler] was nice enough to let me shave my beard. In a way, it works for Perchik because he’s the socialist of the group, and a beard is the symbol of tradition.

SAMANTHA: I’ve done a lot of commercials—apparently I’m very good at selling things on television—and I want to get into more on-camera work. Ben’s been an amazing resource for me. But musical theater sings to my soul in a way I can’t describe.


Q: Samantha, you were Lin-Manuel Miranda’s intern when you were in high school at Hunter, his alma mater. What were your duties?

SAMANTHA: A lot of Guitar Hero and pizza ordering! It was when In the Heights was transferring to Broadway, and he was working on West Side Story. I transcribed lyrics he was translating into Spanish, and I was at the theater doing errands. He is an amazing human being and I’m so lucky to know him.

Q: That was probably around the same time Ben was selling water in the aisles of the Broadway Theatre.

BEN: That was a huge [survival job]! I’m one of those people who literally can’t do anything else besides acting. One summer, my mother drove me to a group interview at The Container Store and I was the only guy who didn’t get hired.

SAMANTHA: The day the Fiddler casting was announced, I was selling $6 jewelry at the Javits Center. Hey, follow your dreams and stay humble!