(JTA) — Danny Burstein, known for his Tony Award-nominated role as Tevye in the most recent Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” has detailed his struggles since contracting the coronavirus in a Hollywood Reporter essay. In his candid account Burstein, who was born to a Jewish father but identifies as an atheist, recalls being hospitalized for five days.
“Four months later — and here’s the honest truth — I’m not really sure how I’m doing. While my symptoms have dissipated for the most part, they also remain in subtle and, on some days, not-so-subtle ways. I can suffer terrible exhaustion. I’ve had swelling in my hands and feet. I had a few weeks where I had short-term memory loss; that went away thankfully. … Sadly, it seems anyone who’s suffered with COVID-19 has also had some kind of residual symptoms,” he wrote. Burstein, 56, who has been nominated for six Tonys in total, is married to fellow Broadway performer Rebecca Luker — who is battling ALS and also caught the coronavirus.
Burstein had been performing a lead role in the Broadway adaptation of “Moulin Rouge” before the virus closed down all theaters. “Can a show the size of ours come back and survive such a financial blow? The producers assure us we will. I’m buoyed by that.