Ragtime (2025 Broadway Cast Recording)

Two months ago, I caught Lincoln Center Theater's phenomenal Broadway revival of "Ragtime." The original cast album from 1998 with Marin Mazzie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Peter Friedman, Mark Jacoby, Audra McDonald, and a young Lea Michele to me is an absolute masterpiece in and of itself. Unlike the latter, this new one doesn't capture the whole score. Yet for a slightly truncated recording, I honestly couldn't be happier. Sure, I would've appreciated it if it included more material (especially 'Atlantic City,' which is very well sung and staged at LCT), but it's hard to argue with how well produced everything else is. Plus if you ask me, I think Joshua Henry's vocals as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. may even rival Stokes' from the original. In any case, this new Broadway cast album of "Ragtime" is very much worth listening to.

I'm a huge fan of the OBC, and this new recording helps justify this score being in the top 10 of musical theatre. "New Music" into "Wheels of a Dream" just melts your hearts and ears. Joshua Henry's voice deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.