Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell go back.
The Tony Award-winning duo reunited on Thursday, October 16th, for the opening performance of Lincoln Center Theater’s Triumph of Ragtime production.
The two longtime friends, who created the roles of Sarah and Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the 1998 Broadway production, posed with the show’s official playbill, providing a dose of nostalgia for theater fans who still hold the original cast close to their hearts.
The pair were among the many stars who gathered at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York City for the groundbreaking production of Ragtime, which received rave reviews. Other famous faces include stars of stage and screen like Rachel Zegler, Danielle Brooks, Ben Platt, and Noah Galvin.
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Matthew Murphy
Ragtime is one of modern musical theater’s most powerful and enduring works. Based on EL Doctorow’s acclaimed novel, this musical tells the epic story of three families (white, black, and Jewish immigrant) in early 20th century America whose lives intersect during major social changes.
Blending fictional stories with real historical figures and events, the show captures the promise and pain of the American Dream and explores themes of race, class, and identity that continue to resonate decades later.
The original production first opened in 1998, and the cast included MacDonald, Mitchell, the late Marin Massey, Peter Friedman, and a young Lea Michele. The show was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical for Terrence McNally.
Matthew Murphy
The score by composers Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens also won a Tony Award. It features some of the most beloved and gorgeous songs in musical theater history, including “Wheels of a Dream,” “Journey On,” “New Music,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Make Them Hear You,” and the iconic “Prologue: Ragtime.”
The musical was last revived on Broadway in 2009. The production, directed by Leah DeBessonnette, returns to the Lincoln Center Theater after a sold-out run at New York City Center last year.
Matthew Murphy
Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry, Grammy Award nominee Casey Levy, and Tony Award winner Brandon Uranowitz will produce and co-star Colin Donnell, Nichelle Lewis, Ben Levi Ross, Tony Award winners Shaina Taub, Anna Grace Barlow, John Clay III, Rod Cyrus, Nick Barrington, and Tabitha Rowing.
The cast includes Nicholas Barron, Lauren Blackman, Alison Blackwell, Brianna Carlson-Goodman, Jordan Chin, Ean Sherrod Cochran, Billy Cohen, Kelly Conte, Rome Crenshaw, Ellie Fishman, Jason Forbach, Nick Gasworth, Tanika Gibson, Jackson Parker Gill, David Jennings, Caleb Johnson and Marina. Kondo, Morgan Marcel, Cain Emanuel Miller, Jenny Molette, Tom Nellis, Kent Overshorn, Kayla Pechioni, John Rapson, Matthew Scott, Ellie Mae Sennett, DeAndre Sebon, Jacob Keith Watson, and Alan Wiggins.
Below are photos of some of the stars who walked the red carpet on Thursday night.
