Theatre
Ragtime at Charing Cross Theatre gets rave reviews
Ragtime is currently wowing audiences at Charing Cross Theatre – here’s why it’s not to be missed!
Thom Sutherland’s revival of the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime is going down a storm Charing Cross Theatre, almost 20 years since the original premiered in Toronto.
The original production later went on to receive 12 Tony nominations on Broadway, and remains a standard of the musical theatre genre.
Based on EL Doctorow’s 1975 novel, Ragtime follows three groups of Americans at the turn of the 20th century. All from different socio-economic backgrounds, religions and cultures, the show is snapshot of how classes are affecting by huge changes in society – a theme no less potent in today’s cultural climate than two decades ago.
Since the show opened this month, it’s seen rave reviews, with the Sunday Express calling it “unquestionably the most intelligent, humane and melodic musical in London”. Mark Shenton at The Stage called the show “a knockout production”, while LondonTheatre calls it “musical theatre at its best”.
At the centre of the show – and practically stealing it – is Ethan Quinn, an 11-year-old who just three years ago underwent major surgery to combat the cerebral palsy that threatened to put him in a wheelchair. When Quinn was diagnosed with the condition — which affects muscle control —he was just aged three, he later had the surgery after his parents raised £50,000 to pay for it.
The boy’s mother, Karen, who lives in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, said her son’s performance as Little Boy in the hit musical was evidence of the “life-changing effect” of the operation.
Tickets for Ragtime are on sale now. Get yours at Ticketmaster.co.uk
