There was supposed to be a production directed by the original Houdini, Jim Corti, out here in the Chicago area. That was planned for 2021 and they have yet to reschedule it. The only production of ragtime I’ve ever seen was an incredibly done production at Northwestern. If I recall correctly it was the 2018 Dolphin Show.
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pmensky said: "It was too soon for the last revival. I don’t understand why any producer would revive an expensive show fewer than 10 years after its previous production. Other than Les Mis, I can’t think of any major revival in the last 20 years that was produced within 10 years of its previous run and made it to a one year run. Fifteen years seems like a sensible amount of time to wait."
It was done at the Kennedy Center, where I saw it, got great reviews, so they moved it. I don’t think that move was originally planned. It also opened right after the stock market debacle, which doomed it, as a lot of other shows were hurt badly (but never the safe long runs.
If anyone is in the DC area, Signature Theatre in Arlington is doing a truly amazing production. It is brilliantly directed by its artistic director Matthew Gardiner (but then almost everything he directs is brilliant, certainly better than most things I see in NYC). I saw it a couple weeks ago but am going again at the end of December. If you have a chance, see it!
I think this type of show would work well in the Beaumont, obviously the cast will have to be scaled down a bit, but they could maintain a decent sized orchestra. And if Lincoln Center decided to revive it, then I'd want Lileana Blain Cruz directing it. That's just what came to my mind when I saw this.
At the Stephen Flaherty concert at Carnegie Hall last night, they performed a lot from this show and hearing that music with a huge orchestra just makes you DESPERATE for a full revival here in NY.
I was also at Carnegie Hall Sunday night and the tribute to Stephen Flaherty was well done. Ragtime has been done twice on Broadway and doubt there will be a revival for many years to come.
They should do a starry production at Encores to test the waters of a new production with the option to take it right to Broadway. A Ragtime revival would need buzz on it to have any hope. And even then, they need a star. And if Mother is the only star in the cast, that's a problem.
l absolutely love Ragtime (as evidenced by my profile pic) but it's a giant show with a very large cast, all of which adds up to high running costs.
Unless you got some very big names for the leads, I feel like mounting it in the current Broadway financial climate would be even more of a risky and costly endeavor than it normally is.
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
OhHiii said: "They should do a starry production at Encores to test the waters of a new production with the option to take it right to Broadway. A Ragtime revival would need buzz on it to have any hope. And even then, they need a star. And if Mother is the only star in the cast, that's a problem."
Would absolutely love to see this at Encores with a starry cast. Has anyone heard anything about the filmed version of the anniversary concert? Keep hoping that turns up on PBS or similar.
I'd love to see that anniversary concert turn up, but I'm also OK watching the concert version that aired on BBC back in 2002. It was a strong cast, and Maria Friedman made a great Mother.