In January 1986, the American cast of Rag Dolly took the show overseas to Moscow to perform at the The Moscow Children's Theatre. After the rousing success and popularity of the production, arrangements were made to have the entire script and score translated to license in the then Soviet Union. Unfortunately, these fell through. The history of this original production can be found on the musical's Wikipedia page or our Rag Dolly timeline. This page, meanwhile, is dedicated to the performances that would sprout up for the next 40 years. Despite no official license for the script, and no access to the score, this "American musical" continues to be a staple of children's theater in Russia & Ukraine.
Versions of Rag Dolly most often go by the name Тряпичная кукла, a literal translation of "Rag Doll", or Реггеди Энн, the phonetic "Raggedy Ann" seen more often in Ukraine. The version of the script we have access to credits Г.КОЛОСОВОЙ and С.ТЕРЕШИНwith the translation from English to Russian.
With no concrete license, the plot is often edited or shortened, sometimes to under 45 minutes for very young actors and audiences. As mentioned, there is no access to Joe Raposo's original music or lyrics, but the script itself notes where these musical moments are and the general tone and message of each. For example:
"Папа и хор поют песню. Марселла засыпает. Песня «Надо держаться», в которой поётся о том, что надо держаться даже тогда, когда уже больше нет сил, любящее сердце поможет всё вынести."
- Тряпичная кукла script
"Dad and the choir sing a song. Marcella falls asleep. The song "We must hold on", which is about holding on even when there is no more strength, a loving heart will help you endure everything."
- Google Translate
Using these descriptions, many theater companies choose to compose new music for the performance. Some will also use existing folk or pop songs. This unpredictability in the music, script, and visual design of each show makes searching for these productions an exciting treasure hunt of possibility.
Miscellany
- Text Archive Ru: Тряпичная кукла script
- Georgetown University Library Associates Newsletter, Winter 1999 Newsletter 53: 'Eine Kleine Muppet-musik'
- An article about the archival of Raposo's music, mentioning the Moscow cultural exchange.
- "the musical was translated and included as part of the permanent repetoire of Moscow state musical theater" is as far as we have discovered, the only American source to directly reference 'Rag Dolly's popularity overseas.