Ragtime: What other composers auditioned?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 3:03pm

So I remember reading that along with Flahery and Ahrens, several other composers were invited to submit audition songs for consideration for writing the entire score.

Does anyone know who the other composers were?
Updated On: 12/11/05 at 03:03 PM

[Ronnik]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 3:39pm

This is still one of those pretty well kept industry secrets. Lynn and Stepheh have always maintained that they did not want to know and were never told, and Terrence McNally has never publicly mentioned any names either. I would guess people like William Finn and Jason Robert Brown, but those are just guesses on my part.
The Ahrens & Flaherty website

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 3:43pm

That's what I thought. Thanks Ronnik.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 4:40pm

Interesting.... I read about them having different composers submit songs, I'd be interested to know this too. Not that it matters, but I'm just curious. Looks like it's going to remain a secret, though.

I'm so glad that Flaherty and Ahrens were chosen, though... Ragtime has one of my favorite scores.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:39pm

EL Doctorow should know. He listened to ten recordings and then picked Ahrens and Flaherty's. "That's the only one I want to hear live."

I know one key difference is that certain characters were emphasized over others in various versions. In at least one, Evelyn Nesbit played a very significant role.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/11/05 at 5:42pm

I recently purchased the novel and its interesting how the plot and main characters are portrayed. Younger brother and evelyn nesbit have much larger parts among other things.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:03am

It's interesting how it's been kept quiet for so long. You'd think some of the people who DIDN'T make the cut might want to mention it. At least after all this time.

[Urban]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 4:12am

EvelynNesbit1906 - wow, thanks for that info, very interesting.

I just cannot see how Evelyn could play a key role in the show, her character, in both the book and original movie is just to... supporting. I am glad E.L. Doctorow gave his blessing to Aherns and Flaherty.

Of course the inner geek in me does wish in a small way Emma Goldmen played a bigger role.

Saying that the heart of the book is the 'real' people are basically auxillery characters, regardless of size of role to the fictional characters - New Rochelle Family/Sarah/Coalhouse/Mameh/Tateh/Little Girl.

I was actually always slighty disapointed Mameh was cut. I know she wasn't that big and the role, yes, definately would be the first to go, but it was a rather interest character all the same.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 4:13am

I still can't get over the fact that Lion King won instead of this

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 4:18am

Most people would agree that the current score is quite flawless. But I'm gonna propose a hypothetical situation here. Who would be your choice (Besides Flaherty and Ahrens) to write tje score for this show?

Akiva

[timote316]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 8:49am

Definately Jason Robert Brown. But, as you said Link, Ahern and Flaherty's score is next to perfect.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 10:22am

Maltby and Shire, I believe. If only they had gotten the job!



Vivian Darkbloom
Ramsdale, New England

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 10:24am

Maltby and Shire have their moments, but I can't say that their score for Ragtime would be any different than the cabaret esque music they always seem to write.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 10:29am

Much as I love his work, I can't imagine William Finn writing the score for Ragtime. Just doesn't seem like a natural fit to me.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 10:34am

Me neither. I think Robert Brown is probably the only other living composer who could have reached the same level as A + F. I'v always thought of Parade as his Ragtime.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 11:07am

i can't see a composer coming out and saying they lost out to anyone. and whatever they wrote as their "audition" has probably been recycled into something else.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 12:56pm

I'm always holding out hope for a miniseries version of the novel Ragtime, especially to flesh out the character Mameh. It would also be interesting to see Doctorow's versions of Freud, Jung, and Lavinia Thumb (Tom Thumb's wife) brought to life.

I agree that Jason Robert Brown would have been second most ideal for composing a Ragtime score.
Updated On: 12/12/05 at 12:56 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 2:28pm

Schwartz? lol. That's a joke people. Put away your claws.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 2:32pm

Michael John LaChiusa is great at period pieces.

[Che2be]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 2:38pm

umm... hello?! Stephen Sondheim!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:24pm

And with LaChiusa would be:

Audra McDonald - Sarah
Norm Lewis - Coalhouse Walker
Mary Testa - Emma Goldman
Carolee Carmello - Evelyn Nesbit
Tateh - Mandy Patinkin (again!)
Donna Murphy - Mother
Marc Kudish - Father

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:28pm

Donna Murphy played Mother in the first workshop.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:32pm

And she's also a LaChiusa alum!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:37pm

Murphy was wonderful as Mother, but at the time that she played it, the role was much smaller than it is today. She didn't have a big number at the point ("Back To Before" was written for Marin Mazzie), and the role was very underwritten.

[jam_man]

Posted: 12/12/05 at 3:40pm

Che2be, don't get me wrong - I'm a HUGE Sondheim freak, but I'm not sure I could see even The Master himself doing much better than A&F did, though he probably would have done at least just as well. That said, it would have been, if nothing else, interesting to see/hear his take on it.


Tim Rice and Elton John? Kidding, of course, but wouldn't THAT be ironic?