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Earlier tonight at the 79th Annual Tony Awards, Caissie Levy took home a Tony Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Ragtime. After leaving the stage at Radio City Music Hall, she checked in with BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge to share her initial reaction!
Caissie Levy is an Olivier and Grammy-nominated veteran of eight Broadway and three West End shows. She earned an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for starring in the UK premiere of Next to Normal in London’s West End and at The Donmar Warehouse. Most recently, she starred as ‘Mother’ in the critically acclaimed New York City Center Gala production of Ragtime, directed by Lear deBessonet. Caissie created the iconic role of ‘Elsa’ in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway, starred in the Tony Award winning Broadway production of Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, and as ‘Rose’ in the Tony nominated Broadway revival of Caroline, or Change, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award. She is known to Broadway and West End audiences for originating the roles of ‘Sheila’ in the Tony Award winning revival of Hair, and ‘Molly’ in Ghost. Other Broadway credits include ‘Fantine’ in Les Miserables; ‘Elphaba’ in Wicked (also LA); ‘Penny’ in Hairspray (also 1st national tour & Toronto); ‘Maureen’ in Rent (national tour). Off -Broadway credits include Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter (Atlantic); First Daughter Suite (The Public); and Murder Ballad (MTC). Caissie has been featured on many singer/songwriter’s records, and her solo EP, With You, is available wherever you buy or stream your music. In concert, she backed up Sir Rod Stewart in his Las Vegas residency, headlined Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops twice, and has played solo across the US, UK and Canada.
Ragtime is not only a powerful portrait of life in turn-of-the-century America, but a relevant tale for today. Written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (“Once On This Island,” “Seussical,” “Lucky Stiff”), noted playwright Terrence McNally, (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”, “Master Class”), and based on E.L. Doctorow’s distinguished novel, the musical intertwines the stories of three extraordinary families, as they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and what it means to live in America. The Tony-winning score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is just as diverse as the Melting Pot of America itself. It draws upon many musical styles from the Ragtime rhythms of Harlem and Tin Pan Alley to the klezmer of the Lower East Side, from bold brass band marches to delicate waltzes, from up-tempo banjo tunes to period parlor songs and expansive anthems. Featured are such show stopping songs as “Getting Ready Rag,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Wheels of a Dream,” “Till We Reach That Day,” “Back To Before,” and “Make Them Hear You.” This thrilling musical is sure to inspire actors and audiences alike! Book by Terrence McNally; music by Stephen Flaherty; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Presented by Mesa Encore Theatre at the Farnsworth Studio.
