TV EXCLUSIVE: Ron Raines on Playing NEWSIES' Bad Guy, Earning a Tony Nom for FOLLIES, and More! Plus a First Look at Raines as Pulitzer!

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Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know.

Newsies, the Tony® Award winning new American musical, has just welcomed 2012 Tony Award nominee Ron Raines as Joseph Pulitzer. In this edition, Richard chats with Ron about playing the villain, his favorite leading ladies, getting his start in opera and so much more! Plus, BroadwayWorld brings you an exclusive first look at Raines singing 'The Bottom Line' in NEWSIES. Click below to watch the full interview!

Born and raised in Texas, Ron Raines attended Oklahoma City University and The Juilliard School.He has had a long and illustrious international career that spans the worlds of musical theater, opera, cabaret, classical music, and television. He most recently appeared as Ben in the critically acclaimed revival of Follies at the Kennedy Center, Broadway, and Los Angeles, for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. He was a three-time Emmy and Soap Opera Digest Award nominee for his role as the villain Alan Spaulding on CBS’s longest running daytime drama Guiding Light. He has starred on Broadway in shows such as Chicago and Show Boat, and originated the role of Nick Longworth in Teddy and Alice (with Len Cariou).

He has delighted audiences around the world with his memorable starring roles in virtually every major American musical and operetta,including A Little Night Music, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, South Pacific, Annie, Kismet, Sayonara, Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, Naughty Marietta, The Merry Widow, Brigadoon, Rose Marie, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Side by Side by Sondheim, Guys and Dolls, and Man of La Mancha at the Covent Garden Festival. He has soloed with over 50 major American and international orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the Philly Pops, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, and the Israeli Philharmonic, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Tanglewood, the London Palladium, Rainbow and Stars, and the Royal Festival Hall. He has appeared on four PBS “Great Performances,” and has made two solo recordings on Jay Records and numerous cast albums. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.