Review Roundup: What Did The Critics Think Of The Revamped RAGS at Goodspeed?

A revised version of RAGS is currently on stage at Goodspeed Musicals through December 10. Fresh from Ellis Island, a young mother and her son search for a new life and a sense of home as the 20th century beckons. The streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side may not be paved with gold, but they echo with the music of opportunity, optimism and hope. A ravishing score by the songwriters of Wicked and Annie colors a sweeping saga of America's immigrant past.

The cast stars Samantha Massell as Rebecca, Nathan Salstone as Ben, Sean MacLaughlin as Sal, Sara Kapner as Bella, Adam Heller as Avram, Mitch Greenberg as Jack, David Harris as Bronfman, Christian Michael Camporin as David, Lori Wilner as Rachel, and Emily Zacharis as Anna. The cast also includes J.D. Daw, Ellie Fishman, Danny Lindgren, Sarah Solie, Jeff Williamsas the Quintet.

RAGS has music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, with a book by Joseph Stein. It is directed by Rob Ruggiero, with choreography by Parker Esse, musical direction by Michael O'Flaherty, scenic design by Michael Schweikart, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by John Lasiter projection design by Luke Cantarella, and sound design by Jay Hilton.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

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Christopher Arnott, The Hartford Courant: Ruggiero gives "Rags" the feel of a modern musical. There are no big production numbers but a lot of beautiful intimate exchanges. There's a dramatic throughline that exists whether the characters are singing or speaking... There are scenes of violence, grieving, hardship and heartbreak, but "Rags" never melts into a puddle of maudlin self-pity. It maintains an optimistic attitude.Not everyone's story ends happily, but a sense of dread is avoided. This is a lived-in character-based drama. It has a time, a place and a message: follow your heart, but keep your head.

Joe Amarante, The New Haven Register: Strouse and Schwartz reworked the music, moving tunes around, chucking others, adding snippets and words to fit Thompson's refocused story. As Thompson told us, the streamlined story was placed largely into a small tenement apartment... It works exceedingly well, thanks to a revolving set designed by Michael Schweikardt, clever writing and direction and an excellent cast, led by Samantha Massell as Rebecca Hershhowitz and Adam Heller and Mitch Greenberg as elders in the collection of Jewish family members and coworkers in the garment trade.But for a musical to shake off its wrinkly old skin, it needs to be consistently good, with nary a wasted moment. And "Rags" mostly manages to do that, with emotional impact.

Joseph Harrison, BroadwayWorld: As director, Rob Ruggiero's vision for the production is truly inspired. He has worked closely with the creative team to deliver something that is rarely seen - a completely new take on an existing show... Goodspeed Musicals has really outdone itself with this production of RAGS. They have taken a show that many had written off as, simply, one of those shows that just didn't work, and they pulled it apart and put it back together as a fresh, vibrant, timely and important story. I fully expect that this will become the definitive telling of this story, and it should.

Mark G. Auerbach, The Westfield News: Goodspeed Musicals' ambitious revisal of a famous Broadway flop, Rags, has so much going for it. Its creators revamped its plot, and took its exquisite score, and enhanced it with Dan DeLange's superb orchestrations. Some characters from the original are gone; some characters are retooled, and others are given more contemporary purpose. And, the story of America's turn-of-the-century immigrants and the public's reaction to them, seems more poignant in terms of today's current events.

Photo Credit: Diane Sobolewski

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