Ragtime Revival

[Lindsay Paige Galperson]

I've been thinking for a while and I think especially cause of the current political climate, a revival of Ragtime would be very impactful. Get Joshua Henry as Coal (so he can get his much deserved tony) and Cynthia Erivo as Sarah and it would be golden. Maybe throw in Ari Stachel as Tateh and get a big name to play Mother and I think it would be a big hit.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

If and when Ragtime receives its second Broadway revival, I think Lincoln Center Theater should produce it (especially since the last two productions lost a lot of money) with Bartlett Sher at the helm.

[BroadwayMan5]

I would love to see Kelli O'Hara as Mother in a Bart Sher directed Ragtime at the Beaumont. Agreed that Josh Henry would be a good Coalhouse but would prefer someone other than Erivo for Sarah

[Lindsay Paige Galperson]

BroadwayMan5 said: "I would love to see Kelli O'Hara as Mother in a Bart Sher directed Ragtime at the Beaumont. Agreed that Josh Henry would be a good Coalhouse but would prefer someone other than Erivo for Sarah"

maybe loren lott? i love what she's doing with ti moune and she deserves a big break.

[smidge]

In the meantime, does anyone think the 20th Anniversary concert will materialize?

[cl22]

If they gave it good money and a strong reimagining and reworked some of the show it could last a long time. It has never had the long-lasting or critically acclaimed production it deserved.  

[SomethingPeculiar]

Maybe RAGTIME needs the John Doyle approach –– more intimate physical production, fewer actors, smaller band (even though those original orchestrations are perfect). It could be done with a cast of 12-15 with a lot of doubling.

[cl22]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuGNLmgg9Z4

 

Ragtime in the round. Reminds me a lot of the way they changed OOTI. This production was in may in RI.

[DottieD'Luscia]

SomethingPeculiar said: "Maybe RAGTIMEneeds the John Doyle approach –– more intimate physical production, fewer actors, smaller band (even though those original orchestrations are perfect). It could be done with a cast of 12-15 with a lot of doubling."

Papermill did a small version of Ragtime in 2005 directed by Stafford Arima.  I hated it!

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Aisha Jackson was a perfect Sarah in the Ellis island concert. Would love to see her play the role on broadway.

[SomethingPeculiar]

DottieD'Luscia said: "Papermill did a small version of Ragtime in 2005 directed by Stafford Arima. I hated it!"

The 2009 Broadway production was also scaled-back, though it still had a huge cast. Paper Mill's also had a large cast of 33, and was based on Stafford Arima's London production.

[Mister Matt]

The best productions I've seen of Ragtime have been smaller, intimate productions.  To me, it helps bring more clarity to the story.  The riot scene just before Gliding has always been especially problematic.  The original production kept flip-flopping from spectacle to minimalist with very odd staging choices that I found to be a confusing mess at times (such as stuffing the chorus in the stairwells during New Music on a mostly empty stage).  John Gallagher, Jr. would make an excellent Younger Brother.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Thanks, SomethingPeculiar.  For some reason the production at Papermill seemed small. I didn't realize the cast was that large.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Some of the show's problems might be solved with slight changes to the music arrangements. Act 1 feels like it has two false endings:  New Music has that big choral finish. Then the next song is Wheels of a Dream, with another big finish. And then a little while later we finally get Til We Reach That Day, the actual Act 1 Finale. (A few trims to the script might not hurt also. And I say this all as a fan of the show)

[Lindsay Paige Galperson]

While I'm a big fan of Barlett Sher's work, I personally would love to see Michael Arden at the helm of this. He's a genius and I'd be curious to see what he would do with Ragtime.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Lindsay Paige Galperson said: "While I'm a big fan of BarlettSher's work, I personally would love to see Michael Arden at the helm of this. He's a genius and I'd be curious to see what he would do with Ragtime."

I would much rather see a Ragtime directed with beautiful restraint by Bart Sher than an over-directed, heavy-handed Michael Arden production. This is a piece that Sher could and would do wonders with.

[dianamorales]

I love ragtime, but lets revive parade instead.

[Ravenclaw]

The production that played Drury Lane Oakbrook in 2010 remains one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen. It was directed by the great Rachel Rockwell, who sadly passed away earlier this year. No other production I have seen has equaled it. It felt epic, yet incredibly intimate. Smaller versions of the show which try to get the minimalism often miss what makes the story (both the musical and the book) so great--its epic sweep. In Ragtime, you feel that you are getting to see a large cross-section of humanity. The opening number does not work as well with 20 people as it does with 40. When we travel from the world of New Rochelle to Harlem and back, the space needs to feel like it's transforming as well, which was my main issue with the 2009 revival. It doesn't need all of the stuff that cluttered Galati's original production, but the world of the play is so vital to the story that it needs something. So I lean away from embracing a minimalist approach.

As for the cast, I'd love to see Norm Lewis reprise his role from the 2013 concert, and Adrianna Hicks (Celie on the current Color Purple tour) would be my ideal Sarah. I agree with those saying Kelli O'Hara would be a fantastic Mother. And is there anyone more perfect for Tateh than Danny Burstein?