so revisiting the show has been a thrill. >> reporter: even at 91-years- old, lyricist sheldon harnickas been directly involved in this revival. helping choose the director and attending rehearsals. we spoke with him at sardi's restaurant, famous for its caricatures of broadway stars; amongst them, harnick's own likeness. harnick says the inspiration for "fiddler" came when he received a book by humorist sholem aleichem. >> the stories were riveting. and what was astonishing about them was that some of them were actually tragic, and yet there was a great deal of humor in them. and by the time you got to the end of the story, you might be crying, but you were laughing along the way. so i sent it to jerry bock, and i said, "this is our next musical." >> reporter: composer jerry bock and harnick had already written hit musicals like "she loves me," also a current broadway revival, and "fiorello," about new york city mayor laguardia. but "fiddler" would become their most successful collaboration and produced their best known song, based on aleichem's prose. >> ♪ if i were a rich man. all d