New York City Center's staging of the Tony-nominated Stephen Flaherty–Lynn Ahrens–Terrence McNally musical Ragtime began performances October 30. See what critics are saying about the new production—and get a first look at the show with newly released production shots—below. Performances continue through November 10.
The hit musical based on E.L. Doctorow’s 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 Barrón, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Billy Cohen, Aerina DeBoer, Ta’Nika Gibson, Olivia Hernandez as Kathleen, Marina Kondo, Jeff Kready as Henry Ford, Tiffany Mann as Sarah’s 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.
CitiTour NYC (Brian Scott Lipton)
New York Magazine/Vulture (Jackson McHenry)*
New York Stage Review (Melissa Rose Bernardo, David Finkle)
The New York Times (Jesse Green)*
TheaterMania (Zachary Stewart)
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Joshua Henry and Nichelle Lewis in Ragtime
Brandon Uranowitz and Tabitha Lawing in Ragtime
Tabitha Lawing and Brandon Uranowitz in Ragtime
Ben Levi Ross in Ragtime
Ben Levi Ross, Joshua Henry, and company of Ragtime
Stephanie Styles in Ragtime
Nichelle Lewis and Joshua Henry in Ragtime
Nichelle Lewis in Ragtime
Shaina Taub in Ragtime
Brandon Uranowitz and Tabitha Lawing in Ragtime
Caissie Levy in Ragtime
Company Ragtime
Matthew Lamb and Caissie Levy in Ragtime
Joshua Henry and company of Ragtime
John Clay III and company of Ragtime
Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz in Ragtime
Matthew Lamb, Colin Donnell, and company of Ragtime
Joshua Henry and company of Ragtime
Shaina Taub, Ben Levi Ross, and company of Ragtime
Stephanie Styles and company of Ragtime
Company of Ragtime
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 Honoré; 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’s 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—along 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’s mission to make the arts accessible to everyone, the run of Ragtime includes a Lynne & Richard Pasculano Student Matinee for grades 6–12 (November 7), a post‐show 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 5–16, 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 NYCityCenter.org.
