| Summary |
The Raggedy Ann musical is known as Raggedy Ann in it's 1984 & Broadway productions, and Rag Dolly in the 1985 production and Moscow tour. The book was written by William Gibson (of The Miracle Worker) and the music composed by Joe Raposo (of Sesame St. and The Muppet Show). The production came into being when producer Patricia Snyder saw the 1977 animated Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure and asked the movie's composer, none other than Joe Raposo, to join her in creating a new musical. Gibson was inspired by the legend of Raggedy Ann's origins - in which Johnny Gruelle created the character to cheer up his sick and dying daughter, Marcella - to write a show that dealt with grief, death, and how stories can bring us hope and comfort when life is difficult to face.
In 1984, the show's workshops opened to mixed reviews, critics saw promise in the concept but many parents complained of the darker themes they were not expecting out of such a child-friendly property. The show went on, however, and the next year it was chosen to play a important role in a cultural exchange between the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts and Moscow's Musical Theater for Children. The cast spent New Years Eve, 1985, on a plane to the USSR, where they would spend the coming weeks performing for the delighted children and political leaders of Moscow.
They returned home with high spirits following the incredibly positive reception. The show started on the tracks to Broadway with a tryout at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. from August 23 to September 21, 1986, now with half the original cast replaced. In October, the show moved to the Nederlander Theater on Broadway for previews. Under the harsh lights and even harsher critics of Broadway, the charming little oddity was clearly out of place. Raggedy Ann ultimately raised the curtains for opening night on October 15th... and promptly lowered them again three days later. With no cast album, no licensing, and very little fanfare, the show faded into obscurity.
| History hub |
The History of the Raggedy Ann Musical
Come learn the history of this show! This is where we will have links to recources about the musical and pages written by members of the revival effort. Sorry, many of these are still a work in progress, but any page not labelled (wip) is active!