On our journey to revise and revive Rag Dolly, we've gathered quite the collection of reading (and viewing) material for our research. For those interested in learning more about not just the production itself, but the people and inspirations behind it, here is that collection for you to follow along:
William Gibson
- A Mass for the Dead (1968)
- William Gibson's autobiography. This has been the most useful reference for his thoughts on death, politics, and childhood that can be clearly drawn to the themes in Rag Dolly.
- Two Plays: The Miracle Worker & Dinny and the Witches (1969)
- Including the foreword about his experiences with one hit play and one flop.
- The Butterfingers Angel (1974)
- Handy Dandy (1986)
Joe Raposo
- Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (Frank Sinatra, 1973)
- Album. Raposo's contributions are 'You Will Be My Music', 'There Used to Be a Ballpark', and 'Noah'.
- The Great Muppet Caper Soundtrack (1981)
- Album
- America Is (1986)
- Description: "From Peter Rosen Productions' one-hour CBS Special "America Is". Joe Raposo stars in and narrates this deeply moving documentary about the importance of music to the immigrants who made and make America great."
- Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music (1990)
- A memorial TV special about his work on Sesame St.
- Sesame Street: Sing: Songs of Joe Raposo (1992)
- Album
Johnny Gruelle/Raggedy Ann
DISLAIMER: Many of these works were published in the first half of the 20th century, and include outdated and offensive portrayal of Black, Indigenous, and POC characters. RARE Does not condone or support these depictions. Please use your own discretion.
- Raggedy Ann Stories (Johnny Gruelle, 1918)
- Read for free via the Gutenberg Project.
- Raggedy Andy Stories (Johnny Gruelle, 1920)
- Read for free via the Gutenberg Project.
- Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees (Johnny Gruelle, 1923)
- Read on Internet Archive.
- Marcella: a Raggedy Ann Story (Johnny Gruelle, 1929)
- The Animated Raggedy Ann and Andy (John Canemaker, 1977)
- An account of the making of Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977). Important for the history of the musical and Joe Raposo's involvement.
- Johnny Gruelle, Creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy (Patricia Hall, 1993)
- Widly respected as the most in-depth and accurate account of Gruelle's life and Raggedy Ann's creation.
- The Collector's World of Raggedy Ann and Andy (vol. 1 & vol. 2) (Andrew Tabbat, 1996)
- Raggedy Ann and More: Johnny Gruelle’s Dolls and Merchandise (Patricia Hall, 1999)
Other
- Sketches from My Life (Natalia Ilinichna Sats, 1986)
- Natalia Sats founded the first children's theater, and was instrumental in bringing Rag Dolly to Moscow for the 1986 cultural exchange. Her story is valuable in our research on the show's surprising popularity in the area.
- Not Since Carrie (Ken Mandelbaum, 1991)
- Mentions Rag Dolly, and is a good resource on different Broadway flops
- A Theory of Adaptation (second edition) (Linda Hutcheon, 2013)
- The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen: The Last Twenty-Five Years of the Broadway Musical (Ethan Mordden, 2004)
- Mentions Rag Dolly, and is a good resource on different Broadway flops
- Flop Musicals of the Twenty-First Century: How They Happened, When They Happened (And What We’ve Learned) (Stephen Purdy, 2020)
- Resource on different Broadway flops and exploration of how a flop is created.
- Out For Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical