Rags Overture??

[Charlie Castro]

So I know that the Rags overture was recorded solely for the Rags OBC recording (it wasnt part of the original show), but by any chance, is there sheet music for it out there somewhere?? It is one of my favorite orchestral musical pieces ever! Rags has such a unique story!

[CATSNYrevival]

Way overdue for a revival too.

[freewilma]

It seems like there is a move to revise and tighten the show.  I saw it a few weeks ago at George Mason University in Virginia.  Since I'd never seen the original I have no idea how much this new iteration differs from the original.  The article indicates they are hoping for a London production in the near future. https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2019/10/18/new-revision-of-broadway-musical-rags-is-a-timely-story-of-the-immigrant-experience/

[CATSNYrevival]

Personally, I would have liked to see a revival closer to the original. Partly because I didn’t see the original so depending on how “bad” it was I may be asking for trouble but the current revisal is so far removed from the original it shouldn’t even be fair to still call it “Rags.”

[Charlie Castro]

Agreed!!

[AEA AGMA SM]

The show has been tinkered with and revised almost constantly, and very few of the major stagings looked like the previous one. It was first revised Off-Broadway in the early 90s. It was given another overhaul in the late 90s for the Papermill Playhouse production. Then there was the most recent revisal for Goodspeed's production a couple years ago.

Does anyone happen to know what version is currently used for licensing?

[CATSNYrevival]

AEA AGMA SM said: "Does anyone happen to know what version is currently used for licensing?"

Which company licenses it now? It used to be R&H. Now it's not listed on their site anymore.

[Charlie Castro]

My high school wanted to do it last year, but my music director told me since there are still rewrites being made they couldn’t obtain the rights for it yet.

[Auggie27]

I play the overture every July 4th, and tear up. It's a beauty. I saw the OBC in a preview and the Papermill iteration, which didn't so much improve the show as simply change it. The score is exhilarating, but like "Merrily" and "Candide," it has a disconnect between the ambitions of the book and the execution. It's just about too many people and many get lost in act one. It also has a leading man who -- when he finally appears -- doesn't bring much of interest to the story.  I dearly love every note of the score, but the storytelling is just too diffused. 

[markypoo]

I saw it in previews, and I can only emphasize two magic words:

1) Teresa, and
2) Stratas.

[Auggie27]

Markypoo, I fully agree with you.

The Stratas "Children of the Wind' shattered me.