2nd Ragtime revival

I agree that a Ragtime revival is needed, but I really don't love the idea of Brandon Victor Dixon as Coalhouse. He has a nice voice, but I think Joshua Henry or Norm Lewis would be better choices. Cynthia Erivo would be a great Sarah, but I'm sure that she wouldn't accept. Kelli O'Hara and Danny Burstein would be great as Mother and Tateh.

Though a good production, the last revival was a massive flop. I can't imagine another revival 8 years later would do much better.

Updated On: 4/15/17 at 08:13 PM

Not unless it's produced by a not-for-profit organization like Lincoln Center or Roundabout.

I'm about as big a Ragtime fan as you will find. I consider it one of the great American musicals.

That being said, no. The last revival, for a whole slew of reasons (near non-existent marketing, opening in the dead of winter, some questionable casting choices, and the fact that Brantley hated it the first go round and was certainly going to hate it this time) was a massive, massive flop. No commercial producer will take a chance on this show for quite awhile.

And some of these casting choices suggested are a bit off base, anyway. Norm Lewis would have been a remarkable Coalhouse in the last revival (and has spoken publicly about being in final callbacks for the role), but he's too old now. Mother needs to be able to belt, and Kelli O'Hara, talented as she is, isn't known for her belting. Burstein would be a serviceable Tateh, but I would worry that he'd just open his old bag of tricks unless he had the right director to reign him in. Anyway, it doesn't matter as none of this is ever happening.

icecreambenjamin said: "I agree that a Ragtime revival is needed, but I really don't love the idea of Brandon Victor Dixon as Coalhouse. He has a nice voice, but I think Joshua Henry or Norm Lewis would be better choices. Cynthia Erivo would be a great Sarah, but I'm sure that she wouldn't accept. Kelli O'Hara and Danny Burstein would be great as Mother and Tateh."

why don't you think Cynthia would accept? Audra had 2 Tonys when she played Sarah in 1998 so it's not like Tony winners are ineligible.

Kelli would be terrific as mother! I also think Carolee would do great things with it.

What was Miss O'Hara doing in BRIDGES if not belting?

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As for a revival, I agree: much as we may love it (and I do), the show has failed twice in a relatively short period. Who would put up the money for a third try so soon?

Personally, I think RAGTIME has a structural problem that no one has been able to fix: the first act is sheer perfection and ends on such a high (dramatic) note that the second act can never be anything but a let down. So spectators leave thinking "that was good" but not "that was so good I must tell everyone to see it".

Updated On: 4/15/17 at 09:57 PM

The score of Bridges was written specifically to showcase Kelli's extraordinarily beautiful soprano voice. Her vocal performance in that show was certainly not belted.

^^^ That O'Hara is a soprano has nothing to do with whether she is belting.

The former is a range, the latter is a technique. They are related only in that most (but not all) singers will tend to belt in the lower part of their range. Most (but not all) have to switch to their head voices to hit their highest notes.

O'Hara is justly famous because her belt and head voice sound very similar and she shows little to no break between them, but that doesn't mean she doesn't use both techniques. And, in fact, much of the BRIDGES score is fairly low for her.

You could hear the difference more clearly when Elizabeth Stanley sang the role in the national tour. Her head voice has a somewhat different vibrato and can be easily distinguished from her belt; she used both and it made her sound a little more "operatic", which suited the Italian woman she was playing.

BenjaminNicholas2 said: "Did someone just say that Mazzie is not a belter? Clearly, they aren't familiar with her voice or have seen her live in many things. She's a MONSTER of a belter when needed. Her 'Back to Before' live was the gold standard to which other singers usually fail. Effortless, clear, powerful and emotional.

I've also had the pleasure of hearing her in a variety of small rooms, where her belt is even more impressive. She does perhaps one of the best versions of 'Chief Cook and Bottle Washer' I've ever heard.


I'm not saying that she can't belt, I'm just saying that I've never thought of her or the role of Mother as being a "belter."

Since everyone's talking about age, interesting to note that Kelli was replaced by Marin in the recent TKAI revival. A majority of people here are casting Kelli in a role ~20 years after Marin played it on Broadway. There's a fifteen-year age difference between the two, so I'm not saying she's inappropriate for the role, but it's just interesting.

I have a very different suggestion for the mother. Beth Malone. I'm curious to see her play a character like that.

As for Cynthia - the girl's going to be busy for next couple years with already announced 2 movies she's going to be in. There's a remote possibility she might get cast for the live action The Lion King as well. I'd like to see someone different take on Sarah, not quite sure if I have a suggestion though.

Joshua Henry can really play anything, so he'd be very well cast in this.

I wouldn't mind jake in the show, if it had to come in with a name star appearing in it. I think Lincoln Center would do the show more justice than roundabout.

Definitely. I've been waiting for a Carol Channing Sarahfor years now