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The Entertainment Community Fund announced today that the one-night-only benefit reunion concert of Ragtime, originally scheduled for 2020, will take place on Monday, March 27, 2023 at the Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th St.). The event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show’s Broadway opening and will star original cast members including Emmy, Grammy and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (“Sarah”), two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (“Coalhouse Walker, Jr.”) and SAG Award winner Peter Friedman (“Tateh”), with Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara (“Mother”) in the role originally performed by the late Marin Mazzie.
Additional cast members include Mark Aldrich, Shaun Amyot, John D. Baker, Dara Paige Bloomfield, Sandra M. Bonitto, Mark Cassius, Jamie Chandler-Torns, Albert Christmas, Dioni Michelle Collins, Jim Corti, Pierce Cravens, Larry Daggett, Bernard Dotson, Roberta Duchak, Donna Dunmire, Adam Dyer, Duane Martin Foster, Patty Goble, Darlene Bel Grayson, Elisa Heinsohn, David Hess, Rosena Hill, Adam Hunter, Mark Jacoby, Anne Kanengeiser, Judy Kaye, Mary Sharon Komarek (Dziedzic), Joe Langworth, Joe Locarro, Dan Manning, Michael X. Martin, Mary McCandless, Allyson Tucker Mitchell, Anne L. Nathan, Monica Patton (Richards), Lynette Perry, Orgena Rose, Gordon Stanley, Steven Sutcliffe, Todd Thurston, Vanessa Townsell-Crisp, Rema Webb, Leon Williams, Bruce Winant and Eric Jordan Young. All proceeds from this one-night only benefit concert will support the Entertainment Community Fund.
“We’re thrilled to share this Ragtime news with everyone who has waited patiently for so many years, as we and the creative team have worked diligently to bring this one-night-only reunion concert safely and beautifully to the stage,” said Entertainment Community Fund CEO Joe Benincasa.
“Our Ragtime family, the Broadway community and so many others were devasted by the passing of our beloved playwright, Terrance McNally,” said Entertainment Community Fund Chair Brian Stokes Mitchell. “We also mourn the recent loss of our original Broadway director, Frank Galati, and of course our dear Marin Mazzie. We dedicate this grand reunion to their memory, and honor all those in the Ragtime family who are no longer with us.”
“We’re overjoyed that this momentous evening is finally coming to pass—with so many original cast members, a full orchestra and a full house. What better way to honor the past and celebrate the present?” shared Ragtime lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty.
Based on the classic American novel by E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime has a book by Terrence McNally (Master Class, Love! Valour! Compassion!) and a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Once On This Island, Anastasia, Seussical). The evening will be directed by Stafford Arima, with James Moore as music director and conductor. On the original Broadway production, Mr. Arima served as associate resident director, David Loud as musical director and conductor and Mr. Moore as associate conductor. Additional credits for the one-night-only evening include Wendall K. Harrington and Shawn Boyle as projections designers, Peter Hylenski as sound designer, Don Holder as lighting designer, Tracy Christensen as costume designer and casting by MUNGIOLI THEATRICALS, INC., Arnold J. Mungioli, CSA. This evening is executive produced by Robert Pullen of Nouveau Productions.
“Ragtime is a quintessential American story—it’s about the struggles of immigrants seeking a better life in America, the reality of racism in our society and the impact of social change on the most privileged,” said Benincasa. “Although the story takes place a hundred years ago, the issues it presents are relevant in today’s society and the current civil discourse. We’re honored that Stokes, Audra, Lynn, Stephen and the whole company are bringing back this beloved musical to help the Fund continue our ongoing work of providing a supportive safety net to everyone in the performing arts and entertainment community.”
The original Broadway production of Ragtime opened on January 18, 1998, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now the Lyric Theatre) and played for 834 performances. The show received 14 Tony Award nominations and won for Best Book of a Musical (Terrence McNally), Best Original Score (Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Audra McDonald) and Best Orchestrations (William David Brohn).
The Fund is grateful to the following sponsors for their support of this one-night-only concert reunion: Art Lab, Ford Foundation, Iris Smith, Adrienne Arsht, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The performance is currently sold out. Limited sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Douglas Ramirez at dramirez@entertainmentcommunity.org or 917.281.5921. For ticket holders who have retained tickets originally purchased in 2020, visit entertainmentcommunity.org/Ragtime for more information.