I have seen hundreds of Broadway shows across three decades and this might be the single greatest night I’ve ever had at the theatre. Not hyperbole. I cried four times. The highlights:
-Fully staged “Prologue” with original choreography!
-Five standing os: “Prologue,” “Wheels of a Dream” (the longest obviously), “Back to Before” (more on this below), “Make Them Hear You,” curtain call where they brought out the original kids Alex Strange and Lea Michele and Ahrens and Flaherty! I’d also count “Your Daddy’s Son” as such prolonged applause it was standing o-like. I think people were just too emotional and it led right into the next scene. (Maybe "New Music" was also a standing o? There were a lot.)
-It’s devastating that Marin Mazzie isn’t with us to reprise Mother. It’s a tragedy. But the replacement was Kelli O’Hara (not too shabby&hellip
and her ”BTB” was SO crystalline, so clear, so emotional. I’m still thinking about it.
-I love discovering a new musical as well but there’s something about being in an audience of deeply invested theatre lovers who know where the greatest songs are and you can hear and feel the full room catching their breaths at the same time.
-Lea Michele introduced an In Memoriam segment after the intermission that paid tribute to those in the “Ragtime” family who have ”journeyed on” and Stephen Flaherty came out to play the accompaniment on the piano.
-Did I mention just…Stokes and Audra??? STOKES AND AUDRA.
-Peter Friedman, Mark Jacoby, Steven Sutcliffe, Lynnette Perry all OGs and all performing in beautiful voice. It was like Friedman was back in 1998. And Perry...not sure if she retired by choice but somebody put her in a show now!
-Still can’t believe this year at the Tonys had “Ragtime,” “The Lion King,” and the “Cabaret” revival. In one season! And "Lion King" is still playing at the Minskoff where the concert was. Heh.