Joy Woods, Shaina Taub, Ben Levi Ross and Colin Donnell Join Ragtime at New York City Center

New York City Center has announced additional featured casting for its gala presentation of Ragtime, directed by Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet. Performances will run from October 30 through November 10. 

Colin Donnell, last seen on Broadway in The Shark Is Broken, will play Father; Ben Levi Ross, a veteran of Dear Evan Hansen and currently starring as Nick in Gatsby at the American Repertory Theater, will play Younger Brother; Shaina Taub, two-time Tony-winning writer and star of Suffs, will play Emma Goldman; and Joy Woods, now starring as Middle Allie in The Notebook, will take on the role of Sarah.

As previously announced, the cast will also star Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Caissie Levy as Mother and Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh.

Taub will appear in select performances of Suffs between October 29 and November 10, with alternate Hawley Gould and understudy Chessa Metz playing the role of Alice Paul in remaining performances. The full schedule is available on the show's website.

Ragtime, the musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name and winner of four 1998 Tony Awards, features music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Terrence McNally. The story follows three fictional families in pursuit of the American Dream: Black pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Henry) and his sweetheart Sarah (Woods); Latvian immigrant Tateh (Uranowitz) along with his Little Girl; and a wealthy white family led by Mother (Levy). Music direction is by James Moore with choreography by Ellenore Scott.

The production opens October 30 with a benefit performance followed by a gala dinner at the Ziegfeld Ballroom honoring original Ragtime Broadway cast member Brian Stokes Mitchell and Denise Littlefield Sobel, philanthropist and longtime supporter of City Center.