Ragtime

Brian Stokes Mitchell. I had heard him before on the Kiss of the Spider Woman recording, but when I heard him as Coalhouse, he totally blew me away. “Make Them Hear You” is a staple on my “wonderful male voices” mix tapes. 🙂 And everything I’ve heard him in since has just reaffirmed what a remarkable voice he has, and what a talented actor he is. To find out more, visit the Brian Stokes Mitchell Home Page.

Marin Mazzie. There are very few female voices that I really *enjoy* listening to, and Marin is one of them. I loved her on Passion, and was more than impressed with Ragtime. She is really phenomenal on this recording, and I got to hear her sing “Back to Before” live once, and it was an amazing experience. For more about Marin, visit The Marin Mazzie Website.

Audra McDonald. What can you say about a woman who’s won three Tony Awards in 6 years?? She’s just unbelievable. Her Sarah is incredible to listen to, and I wish I could have seen it live. You can see a bit more about Audra at Broadway World.com.

Donna Bullock. She’s the woman I saw as Mother all three times I saw the show, and though she had a lot to live up to in my mind against Marin, she was really wonderful. Mother is such a pivotal role to the show, and I think that the fact that I enjoyed the show so much reflects well on her performance.

Alton Fitzgerald White. The same that I said of Marin and Donna could apply to Brian and Alton. I expected a lot from him as Coalhouse, and he really delivered. Although his “Make Them Hear You” wasn’t quite as powerful as I’d hoped, the rest of his performance was stellar.

Peter Friedman. I admit to being a little surprised that he was nominated for a Tony, at least for Leading Actor, but that in no way reflects on my respect for his talent. Peter is a marvelous actor, and the life he brings to Tateh is really wonderful.

John Dossett. Father is such a thankless role. But John gave a solid performance the three times I saw him, and, from what you get to hear of it, has a very nice voice as well. Though he’s not the most likeable character, you do get to see where he’s coming from, and I thought he did actually elicit quite a bit of sympathy.

John Barr. One of my favourite things about the Landor theatre production in London was John’s performance as Tateh. His emotions filled the small space, and you were taken along from hope to desperation to optimism and joy. It was a great ride! Find out more at his MySpace page.

Steven Sutcliffe. Since my favourite song in the show is “He Wanted to Say”, I had always paid a lot of attention to Younger Brother. And Steven is just perfect. He was one of the few people I really missed from the original cast…though the other people I’ve seen in this role have been good, none of them have made me feel as much for the character as Steven does on the recording.

Janine LaManna. I saw her three times as Evelyn Nesbit on Broadway, and though it’s a small role, she did a great job of it. I’m really including her on here, though, because I also got to watch her in the reading for the Seussical, and she was just fabulous! She won everyone over, and I hope we see more from her!