Colin Donnell, Shaina Taub, Nichelle Lewis, and More Join RAGTIME Cast

Lincoln Center Theater has announced additional casting and creative team for RAGTIME, incoming Artistic Director Lear deBessonet’s first production of her inaugural season.  Joining the previously announced Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz are Colin Donnell (Anything Goes, NBC’s “Chicago Med”), Nichelle Lewis (The Wiz), Ben Levi Ross (Dear Evan Hansen, Gatsby at A.R.T.), Tony Award-winner Shaina Taub (Suffs, Public Works’ Twelfth Night at the Delacorte), John Clay III (New York, New York), and Rodd Cyrus (Encores! The Light in the Piazza).

The ensemble will feature Nicholas Barrón, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Billy Cohen, Rheaume Crenshaw, Charity Angél Dawson, Ta’Nika Gibson, David Jennings, Marina Kondo, Morgan Marcell, Tom Nelis, Kent Overshown, John Rapson, Deandre Sevon, Jacob Keith Watson, and Alan Wiggins. Casting to round out the complete roster of 33 performers will be announced at a later date.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of RAGTIME will feature choreography by Ellenore Scott, sets by David Korins, costumes by Linda Cho, lighting by Adam Honoré, sound by Kai Harada, projections by 59 Productions, hair and wigs by Tom Watson, and casting by The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA. Music Director James Moore will conduct a 28-piece orchestra featuring original orchestrations by William David Brohn, and vocal arrangements by Stephen Flaherty. Cody Renard Richard is the Production Stage Manager.

RAGTIME will begin previews on Friday, September 26, and open on Thursday, October 16 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65th Street) and will play a limited engagement of 14 weeks only through Sunday, January 4, 2026.  

As previously announced, the 41st season at Lincoln Center Theater will be under the leadership of a new executive team, consisting of Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, Managing Director Mike Schleifer, Executive Producer Bartlett Sher, Producer Nicole Kastrinos, Executive Director of Development and Planning Naomi Grabel, and LCT3 Artistic Director and Producer Maria Manuela Goyanes.

RAGTIME is a sweeping musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel that follows three fictional families in pursuit of the American Dream at the dawn of the 20th Century: Black pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Joshua Henry) and his beloved Sarah (Nichelle Lewis), Jewish immigrant Tateh (Brandon Uranowitz) and his little girl, and a wealthy white family led by matriarch Mother (Caissie Levy). All grasping for the same dream, if only they can hold onto it. 

Featuring a lush score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, a stirring book by Terrence McNally, and original orchestrations by William David Brohn, all of whom won Tony Awards for their work, RAGTIME weaves fictional narratives with real historical figures and events, creating a rich tapestry that blurs the line between personal struggle and national identity, making history feel both intimate and epic.