![]() ![]() Tracking three diverse families in pursuit of the American dream in the volatile “melting pot” of turn-of-the-century New York, Ragtime confronts the dialectic contradictions inherent in American reality: experiences of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair. Doctrow, Ahren’s and Flaherty’s Ragtime is a compelling epic capturing the American experience at the turn of the 20th century. His concert music has premiered at the Hollywood Bowl, Boston's Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Guggenheim.įrom : "Based on the novel of the same name by E.L. Flaherty composed the score for the dance musical In Your Arms (Old Globe), the musical Loving Repeating (Jefferson Award, Best New Musical) and incidental music for Neil Simon's Proposals (Broadway.) Film credits include Lucky Stiff, After The Storm and others. Ahrens and Flaherty are Council members of the Dramatists Guild of America and proud co-founders of the DGF Fellows Program for Emerging Writers. In 2015 they were inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Their mutual honors include the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement, London’s Olivier Award and four Grammy nominations. Their many additional stage credits include Broadway’s Once On This Island (2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical Tony nominations for Best Score and Book) Seussical (one of the most produced shows in America Drama Desk nomination for Music) Rocky Ragtime (Broadway premiere and 2009 revival) Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life Lincoln Center Theater’s My Favorite Year, A Man of No Importance (Best Off-Broadway Musical, Outer Critics Circle), Dessa Rose and The Glorious Ones (Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Music for the latter three) Lucky Stiff and two upcoming musicals, Knoxville and Marie. ![]() They wrote the song score for Twentieth Century Fox’s animated feature film Anastasia, earning two Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, and also adapted Anastasia theatrically for Broadway and internationally. They are considered the foremost theatrical songwriting team of their generation.įor Broadway’s Ragtime they won the Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. “There are a lot more possibilities who would have been cast if we had been sitting down for a long run in L.A.Stephen Flaherty has enjoyed a musical partnership with lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens since 1983. actors are performing in that company now. Auditions for the Toronto company were held here, and he estimated that “eight or 10” L.A. production isn’t set, but “it won’t be difficult in light of the spadework we’ve already done in L.A.,” he said. “Ragtime” will open at Drabinsky’s own new Broadway theater, as yet unnamed, currently being carved out of Broadway’s vintage Apollo and Lyric theaters.Ĭasting of the L.A. “Beauty and the Beast” recently left the Shubert in Century City, so there was an available opening, while “it would have been tough to find one in New York had I not already been building a theater there myself.” There are also “pragmatic” circumstances that govern the routing of “Ragtime,” Drabinsky said. ![]() The show garnered favorable or at least encouraging reviews from the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, the Associated Press and the Toronto newspapers, with additional national reviews yet to appear. Writing from Toronto, Ben Brantley of the New York Times said “Ragtime” is a potential “New York crowd dazzler” with “a stunning, impeccably coordinated introduction,” but he also found the show “inordinately heavy on anthems of the oppressed” and light on individual characterizations. I didn’t need the reviews to tell me that.”ĭrabinsky said he’s also pleased with the Shubert because he believes it’s “physically, absolutely perfect” for “Ragtime.”Īlthough long runs of musicals outside New York often have relied on the media spotlight focused on Broadway, Drabinsky said it isn’t necessary in this case because “a plethora of press” already covered the show in Toronto. Center Theatre Group artistic director-producer Gordon Davidson, who was present at the Toronto opening of “Ragtime,” said Wednesday that “it’s a wonderful piece. Had the reviews not been as positive, Drabinsky said, he might have attempted to bring the show to the Ahmanson later as part of that theater’s season. But Drabinsky said his final decision to go so quickly to the Shubert was based on what he called “an overwhelming endorsement” from national critics who saw the show in Toronto.
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