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Ragtime on Broadway review: ‘This Ragtime is not just a revival; it is a revolution’

"When the production was announced for Broadway, it felt not only deserved but necessary," says Attitude's Kyle Torrence

5.0 rating

By Kyle Torrence

Ragtime cast on Broadway
Ragtime on Broadway (Image: Matthew Murphy)

Ragtime is on Broadway until 4 January 2026, with previews having begun on September 26 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

The musical adaptation of E. L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel, follows three families from different backgrounds, races and classes, all pursuing the American Dream.

With a Tony Award-winning score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the three-hour production continues for another ten weeks.

“It felt not only deserved but necessary”

I first saw Ragtime with my husband at New York City Center just days after Donald Trump was elected president. I will never forget that atmosphere: audience, actors, musicians, holding one another through music and story. That night, Ragtime did more than entertain; it steadied us. It reminded us of art’s power to reflect our present, even through the lens of the past. When the production was announced for Broadway, it felt not only deserved but necessary. The Vivian Beaumont Theatre, with its stately openness, now feels like the home it was always meant to have.

“The musical confronts racism, xenophobia, and feminism, forces still hauntingly present today”

Set in the early 20th century, Ragtime, with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow, intertwines three American journeys: Coalhouse Walker, a Black pianist demanding justice and dignity; Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia clinging to the fragile promise of a better life for his daughter; and Mother, an upper-class white woman in New Rochelle whose compassion expands beyond the boundaries of her world. Through them, the musical confronts racism, xenophobia, and feminism, forces still hauntingly present today. Watching Tateh’s struggle, I couldn’t help but think of the current ICE raids heavy on my mind: a father, a child, and a country that has turned its back on those who helped build it.

“Minimalist set leaves space for the actors to build the world themselves”

Directed with extraordinary sensitivity by Lear deBessonet, this revival rejects spectacle in favor of emotional excavation. Ellenore Scott’s choreography moves with intention rather than ornament, while David Korins’ intentionally minimalist set leaves space for the actors to build the world themselves, using their bodies as the vessel. Among the most searing images is Nichelle Lewis as Sarah, standing alone in a single beam of Adam Honoré’s stark light, singing “Your Daddy’s Son.” She filled the room with a voice and presence so powerful that time seemed to stop. Linda Cho’s costumes quietly establish the social divide, stitching class and conflict into every silhouette.

Cast of Ragtime marching towards the crowd
(Image: Matthew Murphy)

At the centre stand three monumental performances. Joshua Henry delivers a powerhouse, almost operatic turn as Coalhouse, one that feels destined to be etched into Broadway history. His voice drew audible gasps, ovations arriving before the final note. I would add Tony winner to his three-time nominee bio immediately. Brandon Uranowitz, as Tateh, anchors the production with aching humanity. Having appeared in Ragtime’s world premiere at age ten, he now returns with a lifetime’s understanding of the show’s meaning and its relentless hope. Caissie Levy, as Mother, offers a masterclass in restraint. Her calm strength gathers scene by scene until “Back to Before,” when she finally unleashes her full force with devastating clarity. Yet what makes this production truly transcendent is that the ensemble does not merely support these stars; they rise to meet them. Every actor on that stage performs at the height of their craft, creating a collective heartbeat that matches the power of its leads, beat for beat.

“It urges us to look back with honesty and forward with courage”

This Ragtime is not just a revival; it is a revolution. In a fractured world, it urges us to look back with honesty and forward with courage. It insists we remember that we must never go back to before.

And as Tateh dreams late in the show of “a bunch of children, white, Black, Christian, Jew, rich, poor, getting into trouble, getting out of trouble, but together,” he is certain it would make a wonderful film. I would be first in line to see it.

Tickets are available now via the NYC website.