Why did RAGTIME close?- Page 2

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 12:10pm

Atta girl.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 1:50pm

there are rumours that Paper Mill is considering the "scaled down" West End version of this show. That should be interesting. i saw the show pre-Broadway in Los Angeles and loved it.

[bob8rich]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 1:53pm

The London production of Ragtime did not "bomb". It was greeted with great criticial acclaim and was only ever scheduled for a short run.

Also, I do not think you can equate the quality of a show with commercial success. Mama Mia ia a huge commercial success - and it is pure drivel.

On every artistic level Ragtime is a masterpiece.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 1:58pm

I saw the tour of Ragtime--a scaled down version. I loved it. I had heard that it was better than the Broadway version. My guess would be that the production size on Broadway was working against itself. I also love simplicity--and a good musical will work with no sets or costumes or stars. Perhaps this is a show that only time will tell of its merits or not.

[LouW95]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:00pm

Hate to differ but the facts about the London Ragtime production are: It closed quickly, lost money and received mixed to negative reviews. Wish it was not scaled down to 35 people. Poor attendance finished it off...check the please figures from people who know.

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:01pm

I heard they closed it because it got a really low rating in the London Theater Zagats.

[CharityHope924]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:15pm

The opening sequence of Ragtime was incredible-- one of the most amazing things I've ever seen-- and "Back to Before" never fails to tug at my heart strings, but other than that...
To be honest, I don't remember much. I guess Wheels of a Dream, Your Daddy's Son and the fact that I was impressed by Peter Friedman (who was the least hyped of the bunch) stick in my mind. The rest is a blur; the show just lost me somewhere in the middle. I've been asked to play Evelyn in a regional production, and I can't even remember what she sings...lol. Maybe I'll buy the CD and give it another chance.

[RagtimeRay]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 2:38pm

Ragtime is a magnificent show, with some of the best music you will ever hear in a Broadway musical. It closed because of the financial difficulties of its original production company, which resulted in the sale of remaining assets/productions to SFX and they subsequently decided to "cut their losses" by closing the show, which had a huge weekly nut. The cast numbered in excess of 50, with 26 musicians in the orchestra, and a large back stage crew. It has been downsized for touring purposes, but audiences who saw the original production got a speciaL treat... the scope of which will not soon be repeated.

The scenic theme of RAGTIME was built NOT around Grand Center Station but around the PENNSYLVANIA STATION (designed by Stanford White, the architect with whom Evelyn Nesbit - one of the show's characters - had a relationship. The Pennsylvania Station was also symbolic of the early-20th Century. It was torn down in the 60's to make way for Madison Square Garden.

Enjoy the Original Cast CD!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 3:07pm

I absolutely loved Ragtime. I saw it 4 times and was fortunate to get tickets for its final Broadway performance. I will say the leads made all the difference and on 2 ocassions the Mother understudy was on and to be honest, both women were not very captivating (I won't mention names). The music continues to give me chills and I'm sorry it didn't run longer.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 3:08pm

You're right, RagtimeRay, I misremembered Grand Central for Pennsylvania Station. But even taking its connection to Stanford White into consideration, it's a confused metaphor for the show.
An example of a symbol for the early 20th-century would be the World's Fair. Inappropriate for Ragtime, I realize, but you get my point. Besides, the show, as I wrote above, is about revolution.
Regarding your statement that Ragtime has "some of the best music you will ever hear in a Broadway musical:"

I sincerely hope not.

Updated On: 11/13/03 at 03:08 PM

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 3:13pm

i think it's interesting what varied reactions come from this show. In some ways, that reflects the source itself: turn-of-the-century America, Doctorow's novel, and the film version. All had their pluses and minuses, right?!?!

[Bway_Mill_Fan]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 4:31pm

was it me or was the little girl annoying? (the replacement) FYI she is in real life. her ego just grows and now that she's at Papermill...oy!

[logan30]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 5:04pm

I thought Ragtime was wonderful. No one should ever call it a "failure." Before the age of the "blockbuster musical" a run of over two years would have been considered very successful. (I myself think a run of 2 years is very good for a musical as is a run of 6-9 months for a play.)

LiventUSA financed the musical but the company was eventually taken over by the company that now goes by the name of Clear Channel (all these media mergers). The new production company was flush with cash and Ragtime played to near capacity houses for most of its run but the show also had the highest weekly operating expenses on Broadway. At anything less than 80% capacity the show could not meet its weekly nut. At some point the producers had to stop covering the losses and close the show.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 6:17pm

Hey Music Man . We know you did not like the score but as you can see you are in the minority . Again it is your opinion & not supported by others. Maybe one day you will agree with the rest of the class.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 6:48pm

Um, sorry, Mr. Roxy, I graduated long ago. Guess you were left back.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 6:55pm

As I didn't know there was a poll I'll add my support to Music Man. Actually I thought 'Ragtime' was a solid show but I don't think it means anything outside itself. It neither reinvented nor even expanded upon the form, it was simply another straight-forward (and generic) musical from Flaherty and Ahrens, a team completely devoid of original ideas and strategies. While I enjoyed it, I can see why the rest of the world got bored with what was so clearly a souped up musical theater composer trying to recreate styles that he had no understanding of beyond the notes on the page.

[Sally]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 7:33pm

I was glad to read what Musicman, robbiej, JohnPopa and others have written. I saw the production in Chicago and although I liked some of the individual numbers a lot, the show left me uninvolved and unmoved. ---Thought it was just me, but it would seem others reacted similarly.

[dotmarie]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 7:38pm

I love Ragtime to death. I think the score is incredible. I saw the tour with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marcia Mitzman as Mother at the age of 7 or so, and I remember adoring it. I saw it again just recently. Wish I could've caught it on Broadway.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 7:40pm

I want to add to my earlier post. As much as I was a fan of Ragtime, this show didn't play well if you were in the nether regions of the Ford Center. I went with an actress friend of mine and we sat in the balcony. She didn't like it (plus that was one of the performances with a Mother understudy). When she finally heard the recording and auditioned for the role of Mother, she couldn't believe that it was the same show. She had a change of heart. The first and last times I saw it, I was in the 5th row orchestra and felt more taken in with the production rather than in times when I sat in the mezzanine or balcony.

[etoile]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 9:34pm

I don't think anyone has heard from the entire class.

It was a show that had some nice moments. But not one to put on a must see (or hear) list.

Posted: 11/13/03 at 10:03pm

I have to join the ranks of the dissenters on this one. RAGTIME never engaged me nor was I taken with any of the score. Nada, zero, zip. It was a flat omlette made to look like ouefs a la niege.

MusicMan called this one right as I recall it in my theatre memory. Not embarrassed to say that I don't own the CD. The music I heard with the original cast in the Ford theatre and the subsequet cuts I've heard all hit the same D note: D for dull, D for dreary, Deeeee for depressing drivel.

Which may be the true reason it closed.

Yours for a better Broadway!

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/13/03 at 10:08pm

Do you prefer your ouefs with creme anglaise or a sabayon, Bulldog?

Posted: 11/13/03 at 10:11pm

creme anglaise, mais oui.

Bulldog.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/14/03 at 11:56am

the beauty is that we don't all have to agree, right?

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/14/03 at 12:25pm

Of course we all don't have to agree.

But I can't help but feeling like there's a bunch of us coming out of the closet...AGAIN, with regards to this show.

It's like admitting I find Sweeney Todd a tad...well...boring.

Uh oh.