Every day is opening night.

Press Contacts:
Rick Miramontez / Marie Bshara / Kendall Edwards / Morgan Zysman / Bailey Everett
rick@omdkc.com / marie@omdkc.com / kendall@omdkc.com / morgan@omdkc.com / bailey@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

FOR RELEASE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2025

THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED REVIVAL OF
“RAGTIME”
AT LINCOLN CENTER THEATER
TO WELCOME
JULIE BENKO
AS ‘EMMA GOLDMAN’
BEGINNING JANUARY 9 THROUGH MARCH 29

PLUS, ADDITIONAL NEW CAST MEMBERS
ANNOUNCED TO JOIN THE COMPANY
IN THE NEW YEAR

HEADSHOTS AVAILABLE HERE

New York, NY (December 10, 2025) – Lincoln Center Theater announced today that Julie Benko (Funny Girl, Harmony) will join the company of the highly acclaimed revival of Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, directed by LCT Kewsong Lee Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, as ‘Emma Goldman’ beginning Friday, January 9 through Sunday, March 29. Shaina Taub who originated the role, and will be taking a previously announced leave of absence following the Sunday, January 4 performance, will return to the production on Tuesday, March 31.

In addition, Ellie May Sennett will take over the role of ‘The Little Girl’ beginning January 6, which she has been understudying, with Aerina DeBoer joining the company as the understudy for the role. Paul Slade Smith will join the company as ‘Grandfather’ from January 13 through February 8, with Tom Nelis who originated the role returning on February 10.

Beginning February 4^th, Tim Semon will take over as Production Stage Manager.

Ragtime currently stars Tony® nominee Joshua Henry, Olivier® and Grammy® nominee Caissie Levy, Tony Award-winner Brandon Uranowitz, Colin Donnell, Nichelle Lewis, Ben Levi Ross, Tony Award-winner Shaina Taub, Anna Grace Barlow, John Clay III, Rodd Cyrus, Nick Barrington, and Tabitha Lawing.

They are joined by Nicholas Barrón, Lauren Blackman, Allison Blackwell, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Jordan Chin, Eean Sherrod Cochran, Billy Cohen, Kerry Conte, Rheaume Crenshaw, Ellie Fishman, Jason Forbach, Nick Gaswirth, Ta’Nika Gibson, Jackson Parker Gill, David Jennings, Kaleb Johnson, Marina Kondo, Morgan Marcell, Kane Emmanuel Miller, Jenny Mollet, Tom Nelis, Kent Overshown, Kayla Pecchioni, John Rapson, Matthew Scott, Ellie May Sennett, Deandre Sevon, Jacob Keith Watson, and Alan Wiggins rounding out the cast.

Featuring a lush score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, a stirring book by Terrence McNally, and original orchestrations by William David Brohn—all of whom won Tony Awards for their work—Ragtime weaves fictional narratives with real historical figures and events, creating a rich tapestry that blurs the line between personal struggle and national identity, making history feel both intimate and epic.

Ragtime is the sweeping musical adaptation of E. L. Doctorow’s classic novel that follows three fictional families in pursuit of the American Dream at the dawn of the 20th Century: Black pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Joshua Henry) and his beloved Sarah (Nichelle Lewis), Jewish immigrant Tateh (Brandon Uranowitz) and his little girl, and a wealthy white family led by matriarch Mother (Caissie Levy). All grasping for the same dream, if only they can hold onto it.

Tickets for Ragtime are on sale now at www.LCT.org or the Lincoln Center Theater box office.

The creative team for the Lincoln Center Theater production of Ragtime includes Ellenore Scott (choreography), David Korins (set design), Linda Cho (costume design), Adam Honoré & Donald Holder (lighting design), Kai Harada (sound design), 59 Studio (projection design), Tom Watson (hair and wig design), Ann James (sensitivity specialist), and The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA (casting). Music Director James Moore conducts a 28-piece orchestra featuring original orchestrations by William David Brohn, and vocal arrangements by Stephen Flaherty. Cody Renard Richard is the production stage manager.

As previously announced, the 2025 Broadway cast recording Ragtime, will be released digitally on January 9, 2026, with CD and vinyl releases to follow on February 6 and April 3, respectively.

The 2-LP vinyl will be released in three color variants: “Lady Liberty Green” for wide release; “America,” available exclusively at Barnes & Noble; and “Ragtime Red,” available exclusively at Lincoln Center Theater and Creative Goods. The 2-disc CD and 2-LP vinyl variants are now available for preorder HERE. To download photos from the recording sessions, click HERE. Full permission has been granted for press use (Credit: Jenny Anderson, Carrington Spires).

The album is produced by three-time GRAMMY^® Award winner Sean Patrick Flahaven and four-time GRAMMY nominees Ahrens and Flaherty. The album was recorded, edited, and mixed by GRAMMY winner Ian Kagey and mastered by multiple GRAMMY winner Oscar Zambrano with art direction by Derek Bishop.

Ragtime is produced by Lincoln Center Theater in association with Tom Kirdahy, Kevin Ryan, Robert Greenblatt, and Lamar Richardson, along with Thomas M. Neff, Roy and Jill Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Michael Page, Acton Rothschild Productions/Willette and Manny Klausner, Alexander-Taylor Deignan/Jay and Mary Sullivan, D’Angora Padgett Productions/Janet and Marvin Rosen, Maggio Lane/  Rubin Bolosh, and Peter May/Coluzzi Cohen.

The Gala Production of Ragtime was produced in 2024 by New York City Center (Michael S. Rosenberg, President & CEO; Jenny Gersten, VP of Musical Theater).

Ragtime is supported by Barbara and H. Rodgin Cohen. LCT is grateful to the Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater at LCT for their leading support of this production. Additional support is provided by the Julis Romo Rabinowitz Family, Henry Nias Foundation, David Berg Foundation, and the SHS Foundation. Season support is provided by Daryl Roth, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and American Airlines.

BIOGRAPHIES

Julie Benko (Emma Goldman) became a Broadway sensation as Fanny Brice in the recent revival of Funny Girl, earning the Dorothy Loudon Award for her performance and a New York Times “Breakout Star” nod for her celebrated understudy-to-star journey in the show. She also appeared on Broadway in Harmony, Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Misérables, as well as in the national tour of Spring Awakening. Favorite regional credits include My Fair Lady, Jane Eyre, Once, Guys and Dolls, Our Town, Rags, and more. She recently made her film debut in the award-winning indie feature “Caravan,” and has released three critically acclaimed studio albums with her pianist-husband Jason Yeager (available on all streaming platforms). Her forthcoming record Euphonic Gumbo, which celebrates the music of New Orleans, will be released on Club44 Records this February. Julie is also an emerging playwright; her full-length play Down the Line was named as semifinalist at the Eugene O’Neill Center’s National Playwright Conference and is currently in development. She holds an MFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. For more, visit www.JulieBenko.com or follow her @jujujuliebee.

Aerina DeBoer (u/s The Little Girl). Aeri is thrilled to be rejoining the cast of Ragtime after its NYCC run! This is her third show at Lincoln Center (Met Opera Grounded, NYCB Firebird). Aeri is most known for her work as Young Belly on Season 3 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (Amazon Prime). Add’l TV: “Étoile” (Amazon Prime), “The Wonder Pets” (Apple+), “The Calling” (Peacock). Add’l Theater: Prosperous Fools (TFANA), The Hunt (St. Ann’s Warehouse), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (National Tour). Thanks to Lear deBessonet, Telsey, Leorah Haberfield, Mallory Levy, her coaches, and her family. IG@aerinaparkdeboer

Paul Slade Smith (Grandfather) returns to Lincoln Center Theater, where he appeared in the original Broadway cast of Bart Sher’s revival of My Fair Lady. Other Broadway credits: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Finding Neverland. Paul starred as Willy Wonka in the Australian premiere of Charlie…, directed by Jack O’Brien. Regional credits: American Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. TV: “The Blacklist,” “The Other Two,” “The Gilded Age.” Paul is the author of four plays: Theatre People (or The Angel Next Door), The Outsider, Unnecessary Farce, and, his latest: Beside Myself, written with his wife, Erin Noel Grennan, which had its world premiere this fall at California’s North Coast Repertory.

ABOUT LINCOLN CENTER THEATER

LCT’s mission is to bring exceptional theater to life. Building on a legacy of artistic excellence, LCT strives to expand what is possible: to make the magic of theatre more palpable, empowering visionary artists and extending the invitation for the community to join in celebrating the power of live performance. To see that mission to fruition in a new era at the New York institution, commencing with the current 2025-2026 season, Lear deBessonet assumes the role of Kewsong Lee Artistic Director, alongside Managing Director Mike Schleifer, Executive Producer Barlett Sher, Producer Nicole Kastrinos, Executive Director of Development and Planning Naomi Grabel, and LCT3 Artistic Director and Producer Maria Manuela Goyanes.

Following the season launch on July 30, 2025 with the free Silent Disco Listening Party of the Warriors concept album by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, deBessonet opened her inaugural season at the Vivian Beaumont Theater with a new production of her celebrated New York City Center Gala revival of Ragtime, the American premiere of the 2025 Olivier Award-nominated play Kyoto at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, and The Comedy Series with LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater. The season also includes upcoming productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Whoopi Monologues at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater; Night Side Songs, A Woman Among Women and The Reading Series with LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater; as well as one special spring benefit at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Founded in 1985 by Board Chair Hon. John V. Lindsay, Executive Producer Bernie Gersten and Director Gregory Mosher, and led for 33 years by André Bishop, LCT is one of the leading nonprofit theaters in the country, producing an annual season of plays and musicals that have been seen by millions around the globe. It is one of 11 autonomous constituents of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Each year, the three theaters that make up LCT welcome nearly 300,000 audience members to its home on the Lincoln Center campus.

Over the last 40 years, LCT and its outstanding productions have received many of the highest accolades, including 87 Tony Awards, 97 Drama Desk Awards, 79 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 33 Obies, 11 NY Drama Critics Circle Awards, and one Pulitzer Prize, as well as two finalists.

# # # #

www.lct.org
www.facebook.com/LincolnCenterTheater
www.instagram.com/lctheater
www.tiktok.com/@lctheater

www.omdkc.com
www.instagram.com/omdkc
www.facebook.com/omdkc
bsky.app/profile/omdkc.bsky.social