Ragtime Revival

Did anybody see the 2009 broadway revival of Ragtime? If so, how did it compare to the 1998 one? Better? Worse? Specifics?

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I liked the remake a lot - but IMO it didn't come close to the original.

That said, it would be close to impossible for me to find a production of Ragtime that I don't love. I saw a concert version at Lincoln Center last February that was near perfection.

I didn't see the original production, much to my sadness, but I'll second that the concert last February was pretty wonderful.

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I loved this revivial. I enjoyed the original as well, but the revival just had so much more passion. Why it flopped, no one really knows. Too soon?? No stars?? Bad timing?? We'll never know.

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Ragtime is my favorite show. I saw the original when I was very young and it's what made me fall in love with theater. I saw the revival 5 times, including once at the Kennedy Center, and I thought it was really wonderful. They found a balance between the three stories, and I thought Christiane Noll, Bobby Steggert, Robert Petkoff, and Quentin Earl Darrington all gave great performances. I was devastated when they closed so early, but at least they were honored with the Tony nominations that June.

I also absolutely loved the concert version in February.

saw the original. loved it. missed the revival. I would add my love and gushing for the Lincoln Center concert version (especially Lea Salonga's show stopper!). Too bad there is no recording of it.

Saw the original production several times and the revival once.

I was only 10 or so when I saw the original production, so I can compare them aesthetically, but not really emotionally. At that age, unfortunately, I wasn't old enough to really "get" it, even though I remember it very well because it was huge and I was interested in the history. I saw the revival three times on Broadway and once in DC. I thought it was stunning almost beyond words, and I still hate that it couldn't have run longer than it did. It was definitely scaled down in a lot of ways, the set was much less literal, etc., but it was the kind of scaled down physically that actually ultimately shows you just how big the show is. One of the times I saw it on Broadway was pretty close to the end, and going in I thought that would be my last time, but I left feeling like there was no way I could be done yet and went back the next night.

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The revival was one of the most breathtaking things I've ever seen onstage. I'll never forget the act I curtain - most of the audience just sat in stunned silence, tears everywhere. The wall of sound from Till We Reach That Day was incredible. I saw the original production in LA years ago and loved it then, but found the new staging to be far better.

Christiane Noll was a revelation. I'm very grateful I got to see it.

The design of the original production transported me in both time and space. I felt like I was watching something that was unfolding for the first time before my eyes. The gears during the Henry Ford scene were industrial and magical, something absent from the gears in Wicked. I liked the set for the revival but it was so stylistic that I was aware I was watching something abstract. The revival had two standouts in the cast, Christiane Noll and Bobby Steggert. Younger Brother felt like a fuller character. I felt his passion. I also couldn't help being in awe of Stephanie Umoh's beauty. Coalhouse was definitely foolish to leave her. Still, it's the voices from the original production which define the characters for me.

I also thought Robert Petkoff was the emotional center of the revival, but I did not see the original cast so I can't make any comparisons. I liked Bobby Steggert but didn't feel he was anything extraordinary as Younger Brother. Christine Noll was exquisite - I was sorry she had such a relatively small role in CHAPLIN since I was looking forward to seeing her again. And she was adorable in SOM last night.

In case anyone doesn't know, the revival recorded 7 songs - all available to download on iTunes. The 7 songs are:

1. Ragtime(abbreviated)
2. New Music
3. Wheels of a Dream
4. Buffalo Nickle
5. Back to Before
6. Our Children
7. Make Them Hear You

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Ragtime is one of my all-time favorite shows. I saw the original production 4 times, the revival twice as well as the Lincoln Center concert. The original production had incredibly crisp direction by Frank Galati and powerhouse performances by Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra MacDonald. I wept through the show every time I saw it - the emotional impact of the performances was gut-wrenching and Galati really understood the script's nuances in a way that was beyond compare. In the revival, I thought the strongest performance was Robert Petkoff's Tateh and he had a few moments that emotionally impacted me but the rest of the cast left me comparatively cold. The original younger brother, Steven Sutcliffe and the revival, Bobby Steggart, were both excellent and consistent with the aesthetics of their own productions. In the LC concert production, Lea Salonga blew away all the other Mothers I had seen in a way I never imagined possible and Manoel Felciano was also a truly outstanding Tateh. Since the strength of the performances skew which characters the audience invests most in, I believe Galati's original production best fulfills the script by focusing the audience on Coalhouse and Sarah and was directed to maximum emotional impact. I think it was a travesty that Galati lost to Julie Taymor for Lion King (which was really all about the puppets).

Updated On: 1/22/14 at 12:13 AM