Broadway Features and Reviews
Broadway Says It's Ragtime!
By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine
Immigrants, Industrialists, Dreamers, Celebrities, Jazz, Henry Ford and Harry Houdini too! E.L. Doctorow's brilliant novel returns to Broadway in the Tony Award winning musical production of Ragtime. Tickets for the revival go on sale this Saturday, following the production's celebrated run at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
As fans of the novel know, Ragtime expertly weaves together stories of both the celebrities and the ordinary folk in turn of the century America. Brought to Broadway in musical form by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Ragtime first opened on Broadway in 1998.
The new revival has already earned the praise of critics during its run in Washington, D.C. Marcia Milgrom Dodge's production debuted at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater on April 18 and played a sold out limited engagement through May 17, 2009. Variety called the re-imagined musical "Simply stunning." The Washington Post raved "Nothing short of heavenly. Looks and sounds so good. Glorious!," while Bloomberg News said "Explosive and thrilling! Theater-shaking intensity...a vibrant production."
Intriguing, poignant, and eternally relevant with its consideration of the many hues and complications of the American promise, Ragtime's new Broadway run will take place at the Neil Simon Theatre. The production team includes scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Santo Loquasto, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, hair and wig design by Edward J. Wilson, musical direction by James Moore and original orchestrations by William David Brohn.
The musical garnered four Tony Awards® including Best Book, Original Score and Best Orchestrations during its initial Broadway run. It is likely to be in the heated race for Best Revival this season. The beloved Ahrens and Flaherty score features some of the award-winning team's best-known songs including the title song, "Make Them Hear You" and the anthem "The Wheels of a Dream."
Casting for this production will be announced shortly.
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