Critics Sound Off on City Center Ragtime; Get a 1st Look at the Gala Staging | 半岛体育

半岛体育

The Verdict Critics Sound Off on City Center Ragtime; Get a 1st Look at the Gala Staging

Joshua Henry, Nichelle Lewis, Caissie Levy, Shaina Taub, and more are starring in the Terrence McNally-Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty musical.

Joshua Henry and Nichelle Lewis in Ragtime Joan Marcus

New York City Center's staging of the Tony-nominated Stephen Flaherty鈥揕ynn Ahrens鈥揟errence McNally musical Ragtime began performances October 30. See what critics are saying about the new production鈥攁nd get a first look at the show with newly released production shots鈥攂elow. Performances continue through November 10.

The hit musical based on E.L. Doctorow鈥檚 novel of the same name is the New York venue's annual gala presentation, and the cast is led by Colin Donnell as Father, Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Nichelle Lewis as Sarah, Caissie Levy as Mother, Ben Levi Ross as Younger Brother, Shaina Taub as Emma Goldman, and Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh.

They are joined by John Clay III as Booker T. Washington, Rodd Cyrus as Harry Houdini, Matthew Lamb as The Little Boy, Tabitha Lawing as The Little Girl, and Stephanie Styles as Evelyn Nesbit as well as ensemble members Nicholas Barr贸n, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Billy Cohen, Aerina DeBoer, Ta鈥橬ika Gibson, Olivia Hernandez as Kathleen, Marina Kondo, Jeff Kready as Henry Ford, Tiffany Mann as Sarah鈥檚 Friend, Morgan Marcell, Tom Nelis as Grandfather, Ramone Nelson, Kent Overshown, John Rapson as J.P. Morgan, Destinee Rea, Deandre Sevon, Kathy Voytko, Jacob Keith Watson as Willie Conklin, Alan Wiggins, and Henry Witcher.

Read the reviews below.

*

New York Stage Review (, )

*


*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.

半岛体育 will continue to update this list as reviews come in.

Photos: Ragtime at New York City Center

New York City Center Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet directs the run, which also has music direction by James Moore, who conducts the 28-piece orchestra; choreography by Ellenore Scott; scenic design by David Rockwell; costume design by Linda Cho; lighting design by Adam Honor茅; and sound design by Kai Harada. Casting is by The Telsey Office's Craig Burns.

Video: See Lear deBessonet and Brian Stokes Mitchell Give a TED Talk

This sweeping, powerful adaptation of Doctorow鈥檚 novel features music by Flaherty, lyrics by Ahrens, and a book by McNally.

Ragtime mixes fictional characters and historical ones in telling the story of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Black man who buys a Model T Ford, setting off a chain of events that involve all levels of New York City society鈥攁long with magician Harry Houdini, industrialist Henry Ford, celebrity Evelyn Nesbit, Black leader Booker T. Washington, architect Sanford White, revolutionary Emma Goldman, Admiral Peary, a Latvian immigrant who becomes a movie director, and a not-so-quiet family in suburban New Rochelle, New York.

The original Broadway production featured a cast led by Audra McDonald as Sarah, Mitchell as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Marin Mazzie as Mother, Mark Jacoby as Father, Steven Sutcliffe as Mother's Younger Brother, Peter Friedman as Tateh, Judy Kaye as Emma Goldman, Jim Corti as Harry Houdini, Lynette Perry as Evelyn Nesbit, Tommy Hollis as Booker T. Washington, and Larry Daggett as Henry Ford.

The musical was nominated for 12 1998 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It took home four awards, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actress in a Musical for McDonald, and Best Orchestrations for William David Brohn.

Expanding City Center鈥檚 mission to make the arts accessible to everyone, the run of Ragtime includes a Lynne & Richard Pasculano Student Matinee for grades 6鈥�12 (November 7), a post鈥恠how Community Night (November 8 at 7:30 PM), and a performance offering ASL Interpretation (November 7 at 7:30 PM).

The previously announced Encores! season will feature Urinetown (February 5鈥�16, 2025), Love Life (March 26-30), and The Wild Party (April 30-May 11).

For ticket information and additional details about the City Center season, visit .

 
RELATED:
Today鈥檚 Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!