On The Town with Chip Deffaa … at “Ragtime” at Lincoln Center
Superbly cast, superbly staged, and written by masters at the top of their game, “Ragtime,” at Lincoln Center, is the most potent and powerful production in town. [more]
Ben Levi Ross
ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA… FROM “THE LAST FIVE YEARS,” TO “TARTUFFE,” TO COHAN, AND MORE…
I don’t like the way the new Broadway production of “The Last Five Years” was directed. But that unique Jason Robert Brown musical—long a favorite of mine--still offers rewards aplenty…. And what a wonderful surprise the Sinatra School’s production of “Tartuffe” was—with a show-stealing turn by one Harrison Gan. I’m currently holding auditions for projects. If any newcomer that talented turns up, I’ll be more than satisfied. [more]
Ragtime
"Ragtime," thought of as an unwieldy musical with too many characters and too many themes, hit Broadway in 1998. Based on the 1975 E.L. Doctorow novel of the same name, the many storylines were artfully tamed by the team of Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). New York City Center has chosen "Ragtime" as its 2004 Annual Gala presentation in a brilliantly streamlined production directed with an eye to its still-important message by Lear DeBessonet with a large and exceptional cast and an excellent orchestra under the baton of James Moore playing William David Brohn’s original rich orchestrations. [more]
ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA: AT “THE CONNECTOR”
What a terrific, beautifully layered performance Ben Levi Ross gives in “The Connector”—a moving, original new musical from Jason Robert Brown, Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Daisy Prince. [more]