RAGTIME to Begin Previews October 23rd at The Neil Simon

"Ragtime, the Tony Award-winning musical that fans say got a too-short Broadway run after its 1998 launch- in the same season as The Lion King- is coming back to the Great White Way.

The news has been buzzed about for weeks, and on July 1 producers made it official: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' recent all-new and critically acclaimed production of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Ragtime, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel, featuring direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, will begin Broadway previews Oct. 23 at the Neil Simon Theatre. Opening is Nov. 15.

Casting and ticketing information will be announced soon. Members of the Kennedy Center company will likely be offered their roles again.

Ragtime will be produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devlin Elliott, Jeffrey Sine, Scott Delman, Roy Miller, LAMS Productions, Inc., Wendy Federman, Emanuel Azenberg in association with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Milgrom Dodge's production debuted at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater on April 18 and played a popular limited engagement through May 17, 2009..."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/130738

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Updated On: 7/1/09 at 01:23 PM

So this doesn't look like it's a limited run as was rumored. Phantom 2's gonna have to get another theatre if this thing runs.

Also: yay! I've never seen this but I certainly enjoy much of the OBCR.

Huh. I would be really excited if they had waited another ten years or so. I'm not sure they're going to get much mileage out of this, especially once Addam's Family and Spiderman open.

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Actually I have a question, has there ever been a situation like this where a show gets revived while the original production of the show it lost the Tony to (i.e. Lion King) was still running? Seems like a fairly unique situation.

lull89, yup -- Into the Woods (lost to Phantom).

Updated On: 7/1/09 at 01:50 PM

I hope most of the cast from DC comes to the Broadway production.

I wonder how Brantley, who wasn't too taken with the show the first time, will view the show.

Updated On: 7/1/09 at 01:54 PM

EXCELLENT!! I had the pleasure of seeing the OBC and it was an amazing time. Can't wait to see it again!!!

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I loved the Kennedy Center production. This makes me very happy.

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"YAY!!! It's a wonderful, wonderful show!"

To quote Beverly Weston, "Absolutely goddamn right." Sooooooo excited!

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This production is absolutely stunning.

October can't come soon enough!

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I'm glad this is coming back to Broadway. (It won't ever compare to the original though - Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell on the same stage!)

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YES!!!

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