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Ragtime (musical)
Encyclopedia
Ragtime is a musical
with a book by Terrence McNally
, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
, and music by Stephen Flaherty
.
Based on the 1975 novel
by E. L. Doctorow
, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America
, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem
musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP
family in New Rochelle, NY; and Tateh, a Latvia
n Jewish immigrant. Historical figures such as Harry Houdini
, Evelyn Nesbit
, Booker T. Washington
, J. P. Morgan
, Henry Ford
, Stanford White
, Harry Kendall Thaw, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson
, and Emma Goldman
also appear. The music includes marches
, cakewalk
s, gospel
and ragtime
and is mostly sung-through
.
, where it opened at the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts (later renamed the Toronto Centre for the Arts
) on December 8, 1996, the brainchild of Canadian impresario Garth Drabinsky
and his Livent
Inc., the Toronto-production company he headed. The show had a pre-Broadway tryout in Los Angeles
before opening on Broadway
on January 18, 1998 as the first production in the newly renovated Ford Center for the Performing Arts (since renamed the Hilton Theatre, and now the Foxwoods Theatre). Directed by Frank Galati
and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
, Ragtime ran for two years, closing on January 16, 2000, after 834 performances. The original cast included Brian Stokes Mitchell
, Marin Mazzie
, Peter Friedman
and Audra McDonald
, who were all nominated for Tony Award
s, as well as Judy Kaye
, Mark Jacoby
and Lea Michele
.
Ragtime received mixed reviews, many critics noting that the dazzling production (with an $11 million budget, including fireworks and a working Model T automobile) overshadowed problems in the script. Ben Brantley
's review in the New York Times was headlined "A diorama with nostalgia rampant." It led the 1998 Tony Awards with thirteen Tony Award nominations, but the Disney's The Lion King won as Best Musical. The musical won awards for Best Featured Actress (McDonald), Original Score, Book, and Orchestrations. According to The New York Times, "The chief competition for The Lion King was Ragtime, a lavish musical." The New York Times also noted that "The season was an artistic success as well, creating one of the most competitive Tony contests in years, with a battle in almost every category capped by the titanic struggle for the best musical award between Ragtime with 13 nominations and The Lion King with 11." Ragtime was not financially successful, and some Broadway insiders consider its lavish production to have been the financial "undoing" of Livent
.
production moved to Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre
. Previews began October 23, 2009 and the show officially opened on November 15, 2009. The cast featured Stephanie Umoh (Sarah), Quentin Earl Darrington (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), Christiane Noll
(Mother), Robert Petkoff
(Tateh), Bobby Steggert
(Younger Brother), Donna Migliaccio (Emma Goldman) and Ron Bohmer (Father). The production was directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
. This was the first Broadway revival of the musical and the first Broadway revival of any 1990s musical. Ragtime opened to critical acclaim. The production closed on January 10, 2010 after 28 previews and 65 performances. This production had a large cast and orchestra, resulting in a significant weekly running cost that demanded the show be a popular success in order to prove financially worthwhile. "There had been rumors in recent weeks that the show would not be able to survive into early 2010; there was apparently not enough of an advance sale to encourage the producers." Despite the closing, the production received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of Musical, Best Direction, Best Actress in Musical, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical. One nomination, for Costume Design, was withdrawn.
groups. Rights became available to high schools in 2004, after a performance by Baldwin Senior High School in Baldwin, NY.
In July 2008, PCPA Theaterfest on the Central Coast of California produced the show on a thrust stage, and then took it to an outdoor amphitheater in Solvang, California
.
A new production opened at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
, Washington, DC, on April 18, 2009, and ran through May 17, 2009, with direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.
Following its European premiere in a concert performance at the Cardiff
International Festival of Musical Theatre in 2002 (Which was later telecast on BBC Four
), the musical was produced in the West End
, London, by Sonia Friedman
at the Piccadilly Theatre
from 19 March 2003 - 14 June 2003. This production starred Maria Friedman
in the role of Mother, for which she won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
A production in Auckland, New Zealand opened at the Auckland Music Theatre in 2007. NewImi Theatricals produced Ragtime in Japan
. Musik und Buehne has produced a German
version of the show.
A new West End fringe production of "Ragtime" will run from 1st September 2011 until 8th October 2011 at the Landor Theatre over the Landor pub in Clapham North, London. The cast is yet to be announced.
The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre will present a production of "Ragtime" in its 2012 season.
In the early 20th century, three major groups are introduced: upper-class suburban WASPs (Father, Mother, Mother's Younger Brother, Edgar, and Grandfather), African-Americans (Coalhouse Walker, a piano player, and his lover, Sarah), and Eastern European immigrants (Tateh and his daughter, Little Girl). Historical celebrities figure in these characters' lives.
Act I
As Father leaves on a voyage with Admiral Robert Peary
("Goodbye, My Love"), his ship passes a ship of Jewish immigrants bearing Tateh and the Little Girl, which is arriving in America. Father worries that Tateh "hasn't a chance" in America, while Tateh thinks Father a fool for leaving, and Mother yearns to travel with Father. ("Journey On"). Meanwhile, Evelyn Nesbit testifies in court ("Crime of the Century") as Younger Brother watches. Mother unearths a newborn black baby buried alive ("What Kind of Woman"). The police inform Mother that Sarah, the baby's mother, will be tried for attempted murder and the baby placed in an orphanage. Mother takes responsibility for Sarah and the baby.
Arriving with the immigrants ("A Shtetl Iz America"), Tateh becomes a silhouette artist, wishing for "Success" but not achieving it. Tenement life is so difficult that the Little Girl is often ill, and Tateh plans to leave New York to find the life he dreamed of. In Harlem, Coalhouse Walker is a respected musician ("His Name Was Coalhouse Walker"). He still loves Sarah, even though she ran away from him, and resolves to win her back ("Gettin' Ready Rag"). He purchases a Model T as Henry Ford
's workers praise industry ("Henry Ford"). Tateh and the Little Girl pass through New Rochelle as they leave New York City, where they encounter Mother and Edgar ("Nothing Like the City") and Sarah sings to her baby ("Your Daddy's Son"), lamenting having left Coalhouse. She gave birth alone, frightened, and with extreme difficulty, which led her to unthinkingly bury her child. Coalhouse is looking for Sarah but she refuses to see him. He promises to return every Sunday until Sarah takes him back. After weeks, Mother and Coalhouse become well-acquainted ("The Courtship"). Father returns from his expedition to find Coalhouse playing a ragtime song ("New Music"). Sarah finally forgives Coalhouse and they reunite. Sarah and Coalhouse dream of traveling America in their car once the baby is old enough ("Wheels of a Dream").
As Coalhouse's car becomes a symbol of their freedom and the promise of a future, Younger Brother inadvertently stumbles into an anarchist rally on "The Night That Goldman Spoke At Union Square," and converts to the worker's cause. The rally turns into a riot. Meanwhile, another riot/strike is taking place at the textile factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts where Tateh now works. Tateh comforts the Little Girl with a flipbook of her ice-skating. A man sees the "movie book" and offers to buy it. Tateh realizes that he has invented a lucrative product ("Gliding").
Returning home from a picnic, Coalhouse, Sarah, and the baby are stopped by a squad of volunteer firemen led by the racist Will Conklin, who attempts to extort an illegal toll from Coalhouse. Coalhouse threatens to find a police officer, but the firemen destroy Coalhouse's car ("The Trashing of the Car"). Incensed, Coalhouse seeks vengeance ("Justice") but white lawyers refuse to take him seriously, and black lawyers do not consider a case of vandalism to be an important civil rights suit. Believing that the vice-presidential candidate can help Coalhouse, Sarah decides to complain to him ("President"). As she approaches him, a passerby mistakes her for an assassin, and the Secret Service
kills her. At Sarah's funeral, the white family, Coalhouse, and Sarah's friends, as well as Emma Goldman and Tateh, sing of their hope that one day there will be justice regardless of race ("'Til We Reach That Day").
Act II
Harry Houdini performs as Edgar watches ("Harry Houdini, Master Escapist"), but an explosion proves the scene a dream. Meanwhile, Coalhouse abandons his musical career and vows revenge ("Coalhouse's Soliloquy"), terrorizing New Rochelle and demanding that his car be restored with Will Conklin turned over to him ("Coalhouse Demands"). Many unrelated firemen are killed. Booker T. Washington condemns Coalhouse's actions; still, a group of young men joins him. As an escape, Father takes Edgar to a rowdy baseball game, expecting it to be "a civilized pastime" ("What a Game"). Coalhouse vows arson on every firehouse until his demands are met ("Fire in the City").
Social workers attempt to take Sarah's baby from Mother's custody and the violence escalates, so Father temporarily moves his family to Atlantic City, where Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Houdini are performing ("Atlantic City"). Tateh, now a successful moviemaker under the alias Baron Ashkenazy ("Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc"), becomes a good friend to Mother and the family ("Our Children"), later admitting his true identity to Mother. Meanwhile, Coalhouse watches a couple dance ("Harlem Pas de Deux") and remembers meeting Sarah ("Sarah Brown Eyes"). Younger Brother seeks out Coalhouse, anxious to join his cause. Emma Goldman explains that Younger Brother wishes he could tell Coalhouse about his desire for justice ("He Wanted to Say"). The authorities in New Rochelle contact Father, hoping that he will be able to get through to Coalhouse. Father leaves, telling Mother he hopes they will be able to return to their happy lives. Mother, however, realizes that she can never go "Back to Before".
Coalhouse and his group take over the Morgan Library, a museum containing irreplaceable cultural and historical treasures. Father suggests sending Booker T. Washington into the library to reason with Coalhouse. Washington convinces Coalhouse that he is leaving his son a legacy of murder and lies ("Look What You've Done"). Coalhouse surrenders peacefully under the condition that his men go free and he receives a fair trial. Coalhouse, realizing the error of his ways, tells his men to continue the fight through peaceful means ("Make Them Hear You"). Everyone leaves peacefully, but as Coalhouse leaves the library, he is killed by the police.
Edgar turns on a period film projector and announces that the era of Ragtime is over ("Epilogue"). Younger Brother escapes to Mexico to join Emiliano Zapata
. Emma Goldman is deported, Booker T. Washington's Tuskeegee Institute becomes an institution of Black America, Evelyn Nesbit falls from the public eye, Harry Houdini has a mystical experience when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated as he dangles over Times Square
. Father is killed on the RMS Lusitania
. After a year of mourning, Mother marries Tateh and moves to California with Edgar, the Little Girl, and Coalhouse Walker III. Tateh announces his ambitions for moviemaking. Coalhouse and Sarah's ghosts affirm their hope for the future ("Wheels of a Dream: Reprise").
Act II
, the company that holds the Ragtime license.
* Historical Characters
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years...
, and music by Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens...
.
Based on the 1975 novel
Ragtime (novel)
Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. This work of historical fiction is primarily set in the New York City area from about 1900 until the United States entry into World War I in 1917...
by E. L. Doctorow
E. L. Doctorow
Edgar Lawrence Doctorow is an American author.- Biography :Edgar Lawrence Doctorow was born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of second-generation Americans of Russian Jewish descent...
, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
family in New Rochelle, NY; and Tateh, a Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n Jewish immigrant. Historical figures such as Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
, Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit was an American artists' model and chorus girl, noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover, architect Stanford White, by her first husband, Harry Kendall Thaw.-Early life:...
, Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
, J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
, Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
, Harry Kendall Thaw, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson
Matthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which it was discovered that he was the the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy,...
, and Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
also appear. The music includes marches
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
, cakewalk
Cakewalk
The Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around"...
s, gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
and is mostly sung-through
Sung-through
Sung-through refers to a musical or opera with no spoken dialogue, except perhaps for some occasional lines included in some part of a song, but never as stand-alone dialogue...
.
Original Broadway production
The musical had its world premiere in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, where it opened at the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts (later renamed the Toronto Centre for the Arts
Toronto Centre for the Arts
The Toronto Centre for the Arts, previously known as the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts, opened in 1993 as the North York Performing Arts Centre and was designed by Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler for musicals, theatre productions and other performing arts...
) on December 8, 1996, the brainchild of Canadian impresario Garth Drabinsky
Garth Drabinsky
Garth Howard Drabinsky, OC is a former Canadian film and theatrical producer and entrepreneur. In 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to prison for fraud and forgery. His sentence is stayed, pending appeal.-Biography:...
and his Livent
Livent
The Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, Inc., also known as Livent, was a theatre production company in Toronto, Ontario, begun as a division of the motion picture exhibitor Cineplex Odeon...
Inc., the Toronto-production company he headed. The show had a pre-Broadway tryout in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
before opening on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on January 18, 1998 as the first production in the newly renovated Ford Center for the Performing Arts (since renamed the Hilton Theatre, and now the Foxwoods Theatre). Directed by Frank Galati
Frank Galati
Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame...
and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
, Ragtime ran for two years, closing on January 16, 2000, after 834 performances. The original cast included Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
, Marin Mazzie
Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
, Peter Friedman
Peter Friedman
Peter Friedman is an American stage, film and television actor.Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972...
and Audra McDonald
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun...
, who were all nominated for Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s, as well as Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime and Mamma Mia!-Biography:...
, Mark Jacoby
Mark Jacoby
Mark Jacoby is a Broadway performer. He has achieved fame from his leading roles in Show Boat, The Phantom of the Opera and Ragtime...
and Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
.
Ragtime received mixed reviews, many critics noting that the dazzling production (with an $11 million budget, including fireworks and a working Model T automobile) overshadowed problems in the script. Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
's review in the New York Times was headlined "A diorama with nostalgia rampant." It led the 1998 Tony Awards with thirteen Tony Award nominations, but the Disney's The Lion King won as Best Musical. The musical won awards for Best Featured Actress (McDonald), Original Score, Book, and Orchestrations. According to The New York Times, "The chief competition for The Lion King was Ragtime, a lavish musical." The New York Times also noted that "The season was an artistic success as well, creating one of the most competitive Tony contests in years, with a battle in almost every category capped by the titanic struggle for the best musical award between Ragtime with 13 nominations and The Lion King with 11." Ragtime was not financially successful, and some Broadway insiders consider its lavish production to have been the financial "undoing" of Livent
Livent
The Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, Inc., also known as Livent, was a theatre production company in Toronto, Ontario, begun as a division of the motion picture exhibitor Cineplex Odeon...
.
2009 Broadway revival
The 2009 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
production moved to Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre
Neil Simon Theatre
The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in midtown-Manhattan....
. Previews began October 23, 2009 and the show officially opened on November 15, 2009. The cast featured Stephanie Umoh (Sarah), Quentin Earl Darrington (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), Christiane Noll
Christiane Noll
Christiane Noll is an American singer and actress known for her work in musicals and on the concert stage. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Emma Carew in Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, as well as her roles in Urinetown and City of Angels.-Life and career:Noll was born in New...
(Mother), Robert Petkoff
Robert Petkoff
Robert Petkoff is an award-winning American stage actor known for his work in Shakespearean productions and more recently on the New York City musical theater stage. Petkoff has performed on Broadway, the West End, regional theatre, and done work in film and television...
(Tateh), Bobby Steggert
Bobby Steggert
Bobby Steggert is an American theatre, musical theatre, television, and film actor.-Biography and training:Bobby Steggert was born in Frederick, Maryland...
(Younger Brother), Donna Migliaccio (Emma Goldman) and Ron Bohmer (Father). The production was directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Marcia Milgrom Dodge is an American director, choreographer and writer for the stage. After working in regional theatre, off-Broadway and elsewhere for thirty years, Dodge directed and choreographed her first Broadway production, a revival of Ragtime in 2009...
. This was the first Broadway revival of the musical and the first Broadway revival of any 1990s musical. Ragtime opened to critical acclaim. The production closed on January 10, 2010 after 28 previews and 65 performances. This production had a large cast and orchestra, resulting in a significant weekly running cost that demanded the show be a popular success in order to prove financially worthwhile. "There had been rumors in recent weeks that the show would not be able to survive into early 2010; there was apparently not enough of an advance sale to encourage the producers." Despite the closing, the production received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of Musical, Best Direction, Best Actress in Musical, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical. One nomination, for Costume Design, was withdrawn.
Other productions
Ragtime has become popular with regional theatreRegional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
groups. Rights became available to high schools in 2004, after a performance by Baldwin Senior High School in Baldwin, NY.
In July 2008, PCPA Theaterfest on the Central Coast of California produced the show on a thrust stage, and then took it to an outdoor amphitheater in Solvang, California
Solvang, California
Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
.
A new production opened at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
, Washington, DC, on April 18, 2009, and ran through May 17, 2009, with direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.
Following its European premiere in a concert performance at the Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
International Festival of Musical Theatre in 2002 (Which was later telecast on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
), the musical was produced in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, London, by Sonia Friedman
Sonia Friedman
Sonia Friedman is a prolific British West End and Broadway theatre producer. She is the younger sister of actress Maria Friedman.-Biography and career:...
at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
from 19 March 2003 - 14 June 2003. This production starred Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman is an English actress working in television, musical theatre, and concerts. She has won three Olivier Awards for her stage work.-Early years:...
in the role of Mother, for which she won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
A production in Auckland, New Zealand opened at the Auckland Music Theatre in 2007. NewImi Theatricals produced Ragtime in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Musik und Buehne has produced a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of the show.
A new West End fringe production of "Ragtime" will run from 1st September 2011 until 8th October 2011 at the Landor Theatre over the Landor pub in Clapham North, London. The cast is yet to be announced.
The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre will present a production of "Ragtime" in its 2012 season.
Synopsis
PrologueIn the early 20th century, three major groups are introduced: upper-class suburban WASPs (Father, Mother, Mother's Younger Brother, Edgar, and Grandfather), African-Americans (Coalhouse Walker, a piano player, and his lover, Sarah), and Eastern European immigrants (Tateh and his daughter, Little Girl). Historical celebrities figure in these characters' lives.
Act I
As Father leaves on a voyage with Admiral Robert Peary
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
("Goodbye, My Love"), his ship passes a ship of Jewish immigrants bearing Tateh and the Little Girl, which is arriving in America. Father worries that Tateh "hasn't a chance" in America, while Tateh thinks Father a fool for leaving, and Mother yearns to travel with Father. ("Journey On"). Meanwhile, Evelyn Nesbit testifies in court ("Crime of the Century") as Younger Brother watches. Mother unearths a newborn black baby buried alive ("What Kind of Woman"). The police inform Mother that Sarah, the baby's mother, will be tried for attempted murder and the baby placed in an orphanage. Mother takes responsibility for Sarah and the baby.
Arriving with the immigrants ("A Shtetl Iz America"), Tateh becomes a silhouette artist, wishing for "Success" but not achieving it. Tenement life is so difficult that the Little Girl is often ill, and Tateh plans to leave New York to find the life he dreamed of. In Harlem, Coalhouse Walker is a respected musician ("His Name Was Coalhouse Walker"). He still loves Sarah, even though she ran away from him, and resolves to win her back ("Gettin' Ready Rag"). He purchases a Model T as Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
's workers praise industry ("Henry Ford"). Tateh and the Little Girl pass through New Rochelle as they leave New York City, where they encounter Mother and Edgar ("Nothing Like the City") and Sarah sings to her baby ("Your Daddy's Son"), lamenting having left Coalhouse. She gave birth alone, frightened, and with extreme difficulty, which led her to unthinkingly bury her child. Coalhouse is looking for Sarah but she refuses to see him. He promises to return every Sunday until Sarah takes him back. After weeks, Mother and Coalhouse become well-acquainted ("The Courtship"). Father returns from his expedition to find Coalhouse playing a ragtime song ("New Music"). Sarah finally forgives Coalhouse and they reunite. Sarah and Coalhouse dream of traveling America in their car once the baby is old enough ("Wheels of a Dream").
As Coalhouse's car becomes a symbol of their freedom and the promise of a future, Younger Brother inadvertently stumbles into an anarchist rally on "The Night That Goldman Spoke At Union Square," and converts to the worker's cause. The rally turns into a riot. Meanwhile, another riot/strike is taking place at the textile factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts where Tateh now works. Tateh comforts the Little Girl with a flipbook of her ice-skating. A man sees the "movie book" and offers to buy it. Tateh realizes that he has invented a lucrative product ("Gliding").
Returning home from a picnic, Coalhouse, Sarah, and the baby are stopped by a squad of volunteer firemen led by the racist Will Conklin, who attempts to extort an illegal toll from Coalhouse. Coalhouse threatens to find a police officer, but the firemen destroy Coalhouse's car ("The Trashing of the Car"). Incensed, Coalhouse seeks vengeance ("Justice") but white lawyers refuse to take him seriously, and black lawyers do not consider a case of vandalism to be an important civil rights suit. Believing that the vice-presidential candidate can help Coalhouse, Sarah decides to complain to him ("President"). As she approaches him, a passerby mistakes her for an assassin, and the Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
kills her. At Sarah's funeral, the white family, Coalhouse, and Sarah's friends, as well as Emma Goldman and Tateh, sing of their hope that one day there will be justice regardless of race ("'Til We Reach That Day").
Act II
Harry Houdini performs as Edgar watches ("Harry Houdini, Master Escapist"), but an explosion proves the scene a dream. Meanwhile, Coalhouse abandons his musical career and vows revenge ("Coalhouse's Soliloquy"), terrorizing New Rochelle and demanding that his car be restored with Will Conklin turned over to him ("Coalhouse Demands"). Many unrelated firemen are killed. Booker T. Washington condemns Coalhouse's actions; still, a group of young men joins him. As an escape, Father takes Edgar to a rowdy baseball game, expecting it to be "a civilized pastime" ("What a Game"). Coalhouse vows arson on every firehouse until his demands are met ("Fire in the City").
Social workers attempt to take Sarah's baby from Mother's custody and the violence escalates, so Father temporarily moves his family to Atlantic City, where Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Houdini are performing ("Atlantic City"). Tateh, now a successful moviemaker under the alias Baron Ashkenazy ("Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc"), becomes a good friend to Mother and the family ("Our Children"), later admitting his true identity to Mother. Meanwhile, Coalhouse watches a couple dance ("Harlem Pas de Deux") and remembers meeting Sarah ("Sarah Brown Eyes"). Younger Brother seeks out Coalhouse, anxious to join his cause. Emma Goldman explains that Younger Brother wishes he could tell Coalhouse about his desire for justice ("He Wanted to Say"). The authorities in New Rochelle contact Father, hoping that he will be able to get through to Coalhouse. Father leaves, telling Mother he hopes they will be able to return to their happy lives. Mother, however, realizes that she can never go "Back to Before".
Coalhouse and his group take over the Morgan Library, a museum containing irreplaceable cultural and historical treasures. Father suggests sending Booker T. Washington into the library to reason with Coalhouse. Washington convinces Coalhouse that he is leaving his son a legacy of murder and lies ("Look What You've Done"). Coalhouse surrenders peacefully under the condition that his men go free and he receives a fair trial. Coalhouse, realizing the error of his ways, tells his men to continue the fight through peaceful means ("Make Them Hear You"). Everyone leaves peacefully, but as Coalhouse leaves the library, he is killed by the police.
Edgar turns on a period film projector and announces that the era of Ragtime is over ("Epilogue"). Younger Brother escapes to Mexico to join Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
. Emma Goldman is deported, Booker T. Washington's Tuskeegee Institute becomes an institution of Black America, Evelyn Nesbit falls from the public eye, Harry Houdini has a mystical experience when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated as he dangles over Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. Father is killed on the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
. After a year of mourning, Mother marries Tateh and moves to California with Edgar, the Little Girl, and Coalhouse Walker III. Tateh announces his ambitions for moviemaking. Coalhouse and Sarah's ghosts affirm their hope for the future ("Wheels of a Dream: Reprise").
Songs
Act I- Prologue: Ragtime – Company
- "Goodbye, My Love" – Mother
- "Journey On" – Tateh, Mother and Father
- "The Crime of the Century" – Evelyn Nesbit and Company
- "What Kind of Woman" – Mother
- "A Shtetl iz Amereke" – Company
- "Success" – Tateh, J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini and Company
- "His Name Was Coalhouse Walker" – Coalhouse and Company
- "Gettin' Ready Rag" – Coalhouse and Company
- "Henry Ford" ‡ – Henry Ford, Coalhouse and Company
- "Nothing Like the City" – Tateh, Little Girl, Mother and Little Boy
- "Your Daddy's Son" – Sarah
- "The Courtship" – Mother and Company
- "New Music" – Mother, Father, Younger Brother, Coalhouse and Sarah
- "Wheels of a Dream" – Coalhouse and Sarah
- "The Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square" ‡ – Emma Goldman, Younger Brother and Company
- "Gliding" – Tateh
- "The Trashing of the Car" – Orchestra
- "Justice" – Coalhouse and Company
- "President" – Sarah
- "Till We Reach That Day" – Company
Act II
- Entr'acte – Orchestra
- "Harry Houdini, Master Escapist" ≠ – Harry Houdini and Little Boy
- "Coalhouse's Soliloquy" – Coalhouse
- "Coalhouse Demands" – Booker T. Washington and Company
- "What a Game" – Father, Little Boy and Company
- "Fire in the City" – Orchestra
- "Atlantic City" – Company
- "Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc." – Tateh
- "Our Children" – Mother and Tateh
- "Harlem Nightclub" – Orchestra
- "Sarah Brown Eyes" – Coalhouse and Sarah
- "He Wanted to Say" – Younger Brother, Emma Goldman and Company
- "Back to Before" – Mother
- "Look What You've Done" – Booker T Washington and Company
- "Make Them Hear You" – Coalhouse
- Epilogue: Ragtime / "Wheels of a Dream" (reprise) – Coalhouse, Sarah and Company
- ‡ shortened in the 2009 revival
- ≠ excised from the 2009 revival
Instrumentation
Ragtime requires a large instrumentation of around 20 or so people. The instrumentation is from Music Theatre InternationalMusic Theatre International
Music Theatre International, often abbreviated MTI, is a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City. The League of American Theatres and Producers calls MTI "A leader in the theatrical licensing industry."-Description:...
, the company that holds the Ragtime license.
- BANJO (ACOUSTIC GUITAR, BANJO, ELECTRIC GUITAR, MANDOLIN)
- BASS
- BASS TROMBONE +
- CELLO
- DRUMS/PERCUSSION 2 (percussion doubling removed from West End production)
- HARP
- HORN
- HORN 2
- KEYBOARD 1
- KEYBOARD 2
- KEYBOARD 3
- PERCUSSION
- REED 1 (FLUTE, PICCOLO)
- REED 2 (ENGLISH HORN, OBOE)
- REED 3 (B-flat CLARINET, E-flat CLARINET)
- REED 4 (BASS CLARINET, CLARINET, FLUTE, SOPRANO SAX)+
- TROMBONE
- TRUMPET (FLUGELHORN, PICCOLO TRUMPET, TRUMPET; doubling removed from West End production)
- TRUMPET 2
- TUBA
- VIOLA
- VIOLIN (a 2nd violin part was added in the West End production)
- + removed from the original West End production
Characters
- Father
- Mother
- Mother's Younger Brother
- Grandfather
- Little Boy (Edgar)
- Tateh
- Little Girl
- Coalhouse Walker, Jr.
- Sarah
- Evelyn Nesbit*
- Harry Houdini*
- Henry Ford*
- J.P. Morgan*
- Booker T. Washington*
- Willy Conklin
- Emma Goldman*
- Stanford White*
- Harry K. Thaw*
- Robert Peary*
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there... |
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| Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Terrence McNally Terrence McNally Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the... |
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| Outstanding Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Peter Friedman Peter Friedman Peter Friedman is an American stage, film and television actor.Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972... |
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| Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
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| Outstanding Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Marin Mazzie Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award... |
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Steven Sutcliffe | |||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Frank Galati Frank Galati Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame... |
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| Outstanding Choreography Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography -1970s:* 1970: Ron Field – Applause** No nominees* 1971: Michael Bennett – Follies and Donald Saddler – No, No, Nanette** No nominees* 1972: Patricia Birch – Grease and Jean Erdman – Two Gentlemen of Verona... |
Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre... |
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| Outstanding Orchestrations Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
William David Brohn William David Brohn William David Brohn is an American arranger and orchestrator, best known for his theatre scores of musicals such as Miss Saigon, Ragtime and Wicked... |
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| Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years... |
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| Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Stephen Flaherty Stephen Flaherty Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens... |
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| Outstanding Set Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee composed of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Eugene Lee Eugene Lee (designer) Eugene Lee was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, 1939. He attended Beloit Memorial High School. He has been resident designer at Trinity Rep since 1967. He has BFA degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University, an MFA from Yale Drama School and three honorary Ph.Ds. Mr... and Wendall K. Harrington |
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| Outstanding Costume Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Santo Loquasto Santo Loquasto Santo Richard Loquasto is a Sicilian-Italian-American production designer, scenic designer and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. He is a descendant of Libertino lo Guasto of Serradifalco, Caltanissetta, Sicily. Indy race car driver Al Loquasto was his first cousin... |
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| Outstanding Lighting Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Jules Fisher Jules Fisher Jules Fisher is a lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 200 productions over the course of his 45 year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in film, ballet, opera, television, and rock and roll concert tours... and Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer is an American lighting designer for both theatre and films. She has designed more than twenty Broadway shows and frequently collaborates with Jules Fisher.-Career:... |
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| Outer Critics Circle Award Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets... |
Best Broadway Musical | |||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
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| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Marin Mazzie Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award... |
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Peter Friedman Peter Friedman Peter Friedman is an American stage, film and television actor.Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972... |
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| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Audra McDonald Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun... |
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Frank Galati Frank Galati Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame... |
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| Outstanding Choreography | Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre... |
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| Outstanding Set Design | Eugene Lee Eugene Lee (designer) Eugene Lee was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, 1939. He attended Beloit Memorial High School. He has been resident designer at Trinity Rep since 1967. He has BFA degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University, an MFA from Yale Drama School and three honorary Ph.Ds. Mr... |
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| Outstanding Costume Design | Santo Loquasto Santo Loquasto Santo Richard Loquasto is a Sicilian-Italian-American production designer, scenic designer and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. He is a descendant of Libertino lo Guasto of Serradifalco, Caltanissetta, Sicily. Indy race car driver Al Loquasto was his first cousin... |
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| Outstanding Lighting Design | Jules Fisher Jules Fisher Jules Fisher is a lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 200 productions over the course of his 45 year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in film, ballet, opera, television, and rock and roll concert tours... and Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer is an American lighting designer for both theatre and films. She has designed more than twenty Broadway shows and frequently collaborates with Jules Fisher.-Career:... |
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| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Musical Tony Award for Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack... |
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| Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible... |
Terrence McNally Terrence McNally Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the... |
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| Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
Stephen Flaherty Stephen Flaherty Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens... and Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years... |
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival... |
Peter Friedman Peter Friedman Peter Friedman is an American stage, film and television actor.Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972... |
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| Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Marin Mazzie Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award... |
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976.... |
Audra McDonald Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald is an American actress and singer. She currently stars in the ABC television drama Private Practice as Dr. Naomi Bennett. She has appeared on the stage in both musicals and dramas, such as Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun... |
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| Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions... |
Frank Galati Frank Galati Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame... |
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| Best Choreography Tony Award for Best Choreography -1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls... |
Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre... |
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| Best Orchestrations Tony Award for Best Orchestrations -1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King... |
William David Brohn William David Brohn William David Brohn is an American arranger and orchestrator, best known for his theatre scores of musicals such as Miss Saigon, Ragtime and Wicked... |
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| Best Scenic Design | Eugene Lee Eugene Lee (designer) Eugene Lee was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, 1939. He attended Beloit Memorial High School. He has been resident designer at Trinity Rep since 1967. He has BFA degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University, an MFA from Yale Drama School and three honorary Ph.Ds. Mr... |
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| Best Costume Design Tony Award for Best Costume Design These are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals... |
Santo Loquasto Santo Loquasto Santo Richard Loquasto is a Sicilian-Italian-American production designer, scenic designer and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. He is a descendant of Libertino lo Guasto of Serradifalco, Caltanissetta, Sicily. Indy race car driver Al Loquasto was his first cousin... |
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| Best Lighting Design Tony Award for Best Lighting Design This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play... |
Jules Fisher Jules Fisher Jules Fisher is a lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 200 productions over the course of his 45 year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in film, ballet, opera, television, and rock and roll concert tours... and Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer Peggy Eisenhauer is an American lighting designer for both theatre and films. She has designed more than twenty Broadway shows and frequently collaborates with Jules Fisher.-Career:... |
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Original London production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical | Graham Bickley Graham Bickley Graham John Bickley is an English actor. He is probably best known for playing Joey Boswell in Bread from 1989, until 1991 taking over from Peter Howitt, who played him from 1986, until 1989.Career=... |
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| Kevyn Morrow Kevyn Morrow Kevyn Morrow is an American actor, originally from Nebraska. His career has taken him from the American stage, to London, to film and television.-Broadway and Off-Broadway:... |
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| Best Actress in a Musical | Maria Friedman Maria Friedman Maria Friedman is an English actress working in television, musical theatre, and concerts. She has won three Olivier Awards for her stage work.-Early years:... |
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| Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Matthew White | |||
| Best Director | Stafford Arima Stafford Arima Stafford Arima is a Canadian-born theatre director. Arima studied at York University in Toronto where he was the recipient of the Dean's Prize for Excellence in Creative Work.Arima is directing Carrie Stafford Arima is a Canadian-born theatre director. Arima studied at York University in Toronto... |
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| Best Lighting Design | Howard Harrison | |||
| Best Sound Design | Peter Kylenski | |||
2009 Broadway revival
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Revival of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical was first awarded at the 1994 Drama Desk Awards.-1990s:* 1994: She Loves Me** Carousel** Damn Yankees** My Fair Lady* 1996: The King and I** I Do! I Do!... |
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| Outstanding Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Christiane Noll Christiane Noll Christiane Noll is an American singer and actress known for her work in musicals and on the concert stage. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Emma Carew in Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, as well as her roles in Urinetown and City of Angels.-Life and career:Noll was born in New... |
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert is an American theatre, musical theatre, television, and film actor.-Biography and training:Bobby Steggert was born in Frederick, Maryland... |
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Marcia Milgrom Dodge Marcia Milgrom Dodge Marcia Milgrom Dodge is an American director, choreographer and writer for the stage. After working in regional theatre, off-Broadway and elsewhere for thirty years, Dodge directed and choreographed her first Broadway production, a revival of Ragtime in 2009... |
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| Outstanding Choreography Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography -1970s:* 1970: Ron Field – Applause** No nominees* 1971: Michael Bennett – Follies and Donald Saddler – No, No, Nanette** No nominees* 1972: Patricia Birch – Grease and Jean Erdman – Two Gentlemen of Verona... |
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| Outstanding Set Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee composed of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Derek McLane Derek McLane Derek McLane is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and musical theatre). He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.... |
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| Outstanding Sound Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It honors the sound designers of productions staged on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and for legitimate not-for-profit theaters, all... |
Acme Sound Partners | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets... |
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert is an American theatre, musical theatre, television, and film actor.-Biography and training:Bobby Steggert was born in Frederick, Maryland... |
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| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival.... |
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Christiane Noll Christiane Noll Christiane Noll is an American singer and actress known for her work in musicals and on the concert stage. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Emma Carew in Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, as well as her roles in Urinetown and City of Angels.-Life and career:Noll was born in New... |
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been presented since 1947... |
Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert Bobby Steggert is an American theatre, musical theatre, television, and film actor.-Biography and training:Bobby Steggert was born in Frederick, Maryland... |
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| Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions... |
Marcia Milgrom Dodge Marcia Milgrom Dodge Marcia Milgrom Dodge is an American director, choreographer and writer for the stage. After working in regional theatre, off-Broadway and elsewhere for thirty years, Dodge directed and choreographed her first Broadway production, a revival of Ragtime in 2009... |
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| Best Scenic Design | Derek McLane Derek McLane Derek McLane is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and musical theatre). He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.... |
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| Best Lighting Design Tony Award for Best Lighting Design This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970. In 2005 the category was divided with each genre represented separately.-1970s:* 1970: Jo Mielziner – Child's Play... |
Donald Holder Donald Holder Donald Holder is an American lighting designer in theatre, opera, and dance based in New York. He has been nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning the 1998 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for The Lion King. He won a second Tony in... |
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