DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE I WILL BE PLAYING REBECCA IN ‘RAGS THE MUSICAL’ AT Park Theatre London rehearsing now and opening in the #NewYear with such an exciting cast and creative team?
It’s only a short run so don’t miss out, get your tickets now x #BookHere https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/rags-the-musical/cast
https://www.whatsonstage.com/…/rags-musical-park-full-cast-…
#RagsMusical #StephenSchwartz #ChildrenOfTheWind #Wanting #DaveWilletts #CarolynMaitland #SamAttwater
Nominated for 9 Off West End Awards (Including Best Musical Production, Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance x3, Best Director, Best Musical Director, Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design)
‘Finally claimed its place in (musical theatre) history’ ★★★★ Metro
‘Beuatifully written and performed’ ★★★★ Daily Express
‘Bronagh Lagan directs with great sensitivity’ ★★★★ Sunday Express
‘Gorgeous, life-affirming show’ ★★★★ Mark Shenton, London Theatre
‘Rags The Musical has always carried an important message, but it feels particularly poignant in 2020’ ★★★★★ The Upcoming
‘This is an American musical for today!’ ★★★★★ London Living Large
‘This beautiful production is a triumph’ ★★★★★ Theatre Fan
‘Aptly timed and brilliantly performed’ ★★★★ British Theatre
‘A visually dynamic and thoughtful revival’ ★★★★ A Younger Theatre
‘Strouse, Schwartz, Stein and Thompson finally have the story they need to tell’ ★★★★ Musical Theatre Review
Carolyn Maitland, Dave Willetts and Sam Attwater will star in Rags the Musical at the Park Theatre, it was announced today.
The three will play Rebecca, Avram and Bronfman respectively in the Hope Mill Theatre production as it transfers to London. The show also features Debbie Chazen as Anna, Alex Gibson-Giorgio as Sal, Rachel Izen as Rachel, Samuel Jones and Jude Muir as David, Martha Kirby as Bella, Oisin Nolan-Power as Ben and Jeremy Rose as Jack. Completing the cast are Arthur Boan, Angela Caesar, Adam Crossley, Drew Dillon, Matthew Gent and Natasha Karp.
It has a book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), a revised book by David Thompson, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and music by Charles Strouse (Annie).
The Hope Mill revival, which opened in Manchester in March 2019, is directed by Bronagh Lagan with musical direction by Joe Bunker, orchestrations by Nick Barstow, choreography by Philip Michael Thomas, set and costume design by Gregor Donnelly, lighting design by Derek Anderson, sound design by James Nicholson, casting by Jane Deitch and children’s casting by Keston and Keston.
Rags the musical will play at the Park Theatre from 9 January to 8 February, with a press night on 14 January.
RAGS the Musical is a powerful and heart-warming story of a naive Russian immigrant, Rebecca Hershkowitz and her journey and struggles to find her husband in the US with her young son David.
The pair arrive to be processed on Ellis Island but are treated like animals and nearly deported until they are saved by Avram and Bella, a father and daughter they met on the ship.
Rebecca takes a job in a sweatshop and must decide what matters more to her – staying true to her Russian-Jewish roots or adopting this new American Dream cultural and try to ‘fit in’.
Rags The Musical to transfer to London’s Park Theatre
It has been announced that the spectacular Hope Mill Theatre production of Rags that took Manchester audiences by storm is set to open on 9 January 2020 at London’s Park Theatre, where it is booking until 8 February 2020.
Rags musical creative team & cast
The musical features a book written by Fiddler On The Roof writer Joseph Stein, music by Annie‘s Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Wicked‘s Stephen Schwartz. Rags received its world premiere in 1986 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway and was later nominated for five Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, taking home the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for Teresa Stratas‘ performance in the lead role of Rebecca Hershkowitz.
The original 1986 Broadway cast of Rags starred Dick Latessa as Avram Cohen, Judy Kuhn as Bella Cohen, Larry Kert as Nathan Hershkowitz, Lonny Price as Ben, Marcia Lewis as Rachel Halpern, Teresa Stratas as Rebecca Hershkowitz, and Terrence Mann as the trade union organiser Saul.
Rags the musical song list
Rags The Musical features such toe-tapping numbers as “Again”, “Blame It on the Summer Night”, “Brand New World”, “Bread and Freedom”, “Children of the Wind”, “Dancing With the Fools”, “Easy for You”, “Entr’acte”, “For My Mary”, “Greenhorns”, “Hard To Be a Prince”, “I Remember”, “Kaddish”, “Nothing Will Hurt Us”, “Penny a Tune”, “Rags”, “The Sound of Love”, “Three Sunny Rooms”, “Uptown, “Wanting”, and “What’s Wrong with That?”.
A Rags Broadway musical soundtrack was released in the early 1990s under the title Rags: The New American Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), which is available on Spotify. So hardcore fans of the smash-hit Broadway musical can sing along with the Rags musical lyrics to their heart’s content.
More Rags the musical information — a history
The original Broadway production premiered on 21 August 1986 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway and was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Joseph Stein), Best Original Score (Strouse and Schwartz), Best Choreography (Ron Field), and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Teresa Stratas). It was also nominated for four Drama Desk Awards and won one of them for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Teresa Stratas).
Rags the Musical original cast starred Dick Latessa as Avram Cohen, Judy Kuhn as Bella Cohen, Larry Kert as Nathan Hershkowitz, Lonny Price as Ben, Marcia Lewis as Rachel Halpern, Teresa Stratas as Rebecca Hershkowitz, and Terrence Mann as Saul, a trade union organiser.
The musical was a box office bomb and would have been considered a total flop had it not been recognised at the Tony Awards. It has since gained a cult following and is finally transferring to London after nearly 34 years.
Theatre credits include: Rebecca Hershkowitz in Rags (Park Theatre, London); Grace Farrell in Annie (UK Tour and Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto); The World Goes Round (Mac, Belfast), Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White (Charing Cross Theatre); Molly in Ghost (UK Tour); Ellen in Miss Saigon (Prince Edward Theatre); Joelle and Understudy Rita in Groundhog Day (Old Vic); Kathy Seldon in Singin’ in the Rain (Kilworth House Theatre); Understudy Kate and Lilli in Kiss Me Kate (Old Vic and Chichester Festival Theatre); Sally Bowles in Cabaret (ACT, Aberdeen); You Know How to Love Me (The Other Palace); Starting Here, Starting Now (The Pheasantry); Daughter in The Memory Show; Rose and Understudy Karen in From Here To Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre); Understudy Vivienne and Serena in Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre); Understudy Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde (UK Tour); Understudy Gabriella and Taylor in High School Musical 2 (UK Tour); Serena, Mabel and Miss Bell inFame (UK Tour) and Mamma Mia! (International Tour).
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Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Maitland