RAGTIME 2025 Reviews- Page 5

[binau]

Posted: 11/3/25 at 6:36am

Any guesses or rumours for a C levy replacement? 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 11/3/25 at 9:05am

EDSOSLO858 said: "Did anyone here catch John Clay III’s Coalhouse debut today?"

I saw Clay yesterday and he did a strong job. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of his very fast vibrato but his voice is full and resounding. It was sweet to see the cast support him (as well as David Jennings as Booker T) during curtain call.

I think I’ll always be on an island with Ragtime as I think it’s good, not great. The first act is bombastic: front loaded with rousing number after rousing number, and then Act II meanders a bit until it’s very rushed ending. Act II always feels like a bit of a letdown for me. I wish we spent less time at Atlantic City, say, and more in the moments leading up to “Make Them Hear You.” It’s also a show where no one is in it as much as I remember. I’d forgotten it takes almost half of Act I for Coalhouse to have a proper scene and how little Sarah is in it. It’s strange Evelyn Nesbit (a disappointment) gets a whole number and then just sort of disappears after a scene. 
 

I thought Levy, Uranowitz, Ross and Taub were all great. Lewis, as someone mentioned earlier, is working a little too hard and her lyrics are nearly unintelligible, though I think there’s something interesting character wise about what she’s attempting.  From my seat in the loge, the stage looked bare almost the entire time and the actors simply drowning in space unless the full company was on stage. Ultimately, I had a good afternoon hearing the score played by a beautiful, full orchestra even if I don’t get as much out of the show as other folks. 

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 11/3/25 at 12:47pm

binau said: "Any guesses or rumours for a C levy replacement?"

Erin Davie did Ragtime in Ithaca last year and I really enjoyed her performance. She'd be spectacular. I haven't seen this revival yet though, so I don't know if she'd fit within this production.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/3/25 at 1:07pm

ACL2006 said: "I'm going to assume an extension is indeed happening but they'll probably announce it along with Levy's replacement."

Yeah that timing makes sense. This was a perfect production. I've never seen such a brilliant, completely aligned cast. The lighting, sets, and costumes were perfect. The man next to me complained that the orchestra was too loud, but I thought it was perfectly balanced. There isn't a bad seat in the theater but I was 6th row center and it sounded wonderful to me. This will win many awards including Joshua Henry finally earning his Tony. And the score has never sounded better. Congrats to ALL!

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 11/4/25 at 10:50pm

Saw this tonight. Joshua Henry will win the Tony and earned one of the only genuine midshow ovations I’ve ever seen after “Wheels of a Dream”. He and Nichelle Lewis (also excellent) looked genuinely moved. Every time Henry opens his mouth, it is musical theatre heaven. My quibbles with the show are moot; this production is A+.

What a night to see this show, exiting the theater in tears to the news of Mamdani’s win (and news I’d gotten the apartment I’d applied for, on a personal note). One for the memory books.