RAGTIME headed to Broadway!!!- Page 3

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:19pm

I wonder if they will lose the TONY again...but this time to Bye Bye Birdie.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:21pm

Oh my God, PLEASE be open in November!

[bertandrew2]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:28pm

Why do we need a revival of something that is still fairly recent??? It closed only nine years ago! This is like another revival of Gypsy! Lets revive things that have never been revived! Whatever.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:28pm

If anyone from Kennedy Center stayed with the show, I would hope it would be Bobby Steggert. He was absolutely perfect in the role.

AGREED 100%!

Hmmm, Raul Esparza as Tateh... I wonder if he would be any good? I really can't predict whether that'd be a good role for him, but then again, I never would have guessed Manoel Felciano would have played the role as well as he did.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:29pm

This hasn't ever been revived before.

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:32pm

wishingonly - you took the words right out of my mouth. And i'm not the only one that feels like the original didn't have the run it deserved.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:34pm

There are plenty of us who feel that the original production didn't have the run it deserved. I welcome this revival.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:37pm

Pleaaase don't have Raul Esparza play Tateh. He would ruin the score for me.

[raulmark]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 5:56pm

I'm not familiar with Ragtime.......someone enlighten me,please.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:00pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragtime_(musical)

Updated On: 6/11/09 at 06:00 PM

[raulmark]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:04pm

uhm, thanks for that broken link....but I knew I could just do a "google" search.I was just looking for opinions from fans who are passionate about the show...why do they like it so much

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:20pm

raulmark, the only thing I can say is to check out the original broadway cast recording. People love the show primarily for its score, which is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. Nearly the entire show is preserved on the recording. You can easily follow the story by listening to it.

I love Raul Esparza, but I really don't think that Tateh is the right role for him. He's surprised me before, but for now, I'm saying no. I also think, again, that one of the strengths in DC was the balance of the cast, and balance isn't Raul's strong suit (I thought he was particularly out of sync with the others in The Homecoming). He's a star, but not my first choice for an ensemble player. Even if I bought it, Tateh is more of a tenor role.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:23pm

I literally screamed when I saw this.

"Ragtime" is easily my favorite show of all-time and I have never been more excited about a revival.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:26pm

I heard this today and nearly pood myself. YAY!

[Missy37]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 6:28pm

FRONTROWECENTER: What is booked into the Neil Simon? I haven't heard it is booked and I work for Nederlander

[iamchanging9]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 7:24pm

what is booked at the nederlander?

[raker]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:16pm

I saw the touring company in Boston years ago. It was dreadful, very cheaply produced with hardly any scenery. Loved the opening number but the rest stunk, like The Lion King. I wished I'd seen the Broadway production. Maybe I'll give it another chance.

[musicalman2]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:16pm

I think they will stay largely with the same cast from the Kennedy Center production. Mano Feliciano was a fantastic Tateh.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:26pm

The Marquis could be a good house for this.

[NGeorgiaBwayFan]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:34pm

I hope the cast stays as intact as possible. The ensemble was so strong in DC. It's just a really wonderful show.

Too bad that Mano won't be in. His performance of Tateh was simply great. I echo something already posted -- the chemistry between Christiane and Manoel was palpable.

Please, Leigh Ann, come back as Evelyn! WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[singtopher]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:51pm

It would all depend on if the producers would want to bring the entire cast. Most of them are local DC actors.

So far here are the revivals for next season:
Ragtime
Bye Bye Birdie
La Cage
Finnian's Rainbow
A Little Night Music

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:55pm

Raulmark, Ragtime is really hard to explain because it's so huge in scope. Basically takes place in the early part of the 20th century, and it's about how America is changing and how members of the privileged white middle class comes to interact with the black Americans and the new immigrants. The main white characters for the most part do not have names because they're basically archetypes, so they're Mother, Father, Mother's Younger Brother, etc.

So, the patriarch of this white family goes on a year-long expedition, and his wife feels insecure because she's not used to being independent and her husband's always sheltered her from the real world. He's not a cruel man, but he's kind of ignorant about people who aren't like them and very old fashioned-- he completely ignores African-Americans and immigrants.

Then, Mother finds a newborn black baby buried in the garden that miraculously is still alive, and through a series of events becomes acquainted with the baby's distraught mother, a maid named Sarah, and the baby's father, a very educated and charismatic ragtime pianist named Coalhouse Walker Junior. When Sarah and Coalhouse come into her life, it starts a whole chain of events that completely change the way she sees the world.

At the same time, an immigrant called Tateh and his daughter have come from Latvia. Tateh wants to be a successful artist, but is struggling to make ends meet. He and Mother eventually become very close.

When something very bad happens (can't say what because of spoilers), Coalhouse becomes so angry with the world that he starts up a sort of terrorist group of dissatisfied black men-- and Mother's Younger Brother, who's a very intense revolutionary type who needs a "cause" joins in. The end is very powerful and shocking, but hopeful, too.

All in all, it's about a changing society and different groups interacting. A lot of the lead characters are historical figures, like JP Morgan, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington, Evelyn Nesbit, and Henry Ford. It's absolutely gorgeous music, and so emotional to watch, especially at the Kennedy center. I absolutely recommend it-- one of my favorite musicals of all time.

Updated On: 6/11/09 at 08:55 PM

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 8:57pm

My list of "must sees" in the coming months has 1 more in its running - Ragtime!

I have wanted to see this show since purchasing the cast album 7 years ago. I cannot wait!

[nicholscreek]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 9:12pm

Very excited - great news!

[raulmark]

Posted: 6/11/09 at 9:29pm

thank you Schmerg_The_Impaler, that was a great description and helpful. I can tell you are a fan