Classic Stage Company will present a one-night-only benefit concert performance of Rags, featuring a book by Jospeh Stein, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
Starring Drama Desk Award nominee Nicholas Barasch (Pirates! The Penzance Musical) as Ben Levitowitz, Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn (CSC’s The Baker’s Wife, Fun Home) as Rachel Halpern, Jenna Lea Rosen (Suffs First National Tour) as Bella Cohen, and Tony Award nominee Steven Skybell (Cabaret) as Avram Cohen, the concert will take place on Monday, September 28 at 7pm at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater. The evening will be directed by Leigh Silverman, with music direction by Mary Mitchell Campbell, and casting by Alldaffer & Donadio Casting. Complete casting will be announced at a later date.
Notably, after originating the role of Bella in the Broadway premiere – and just before originating Cosette in Les Misérables – Judy Kuhn returns to Rags as Rachel in this CSC concert presentation. Rags follows CSC’s successful concert presentations of Fiorello and 2025’s immediate sell-out of The Rink.
Step into the Lower East Side of New York in 1910, a time when America worried it was being overwhelmed by a flood of immigrants. Rags, in a revised version of the 1986 Broadway musical, follows the struggles and triumphs of Jewish immigrants striving for the American Dream. After fleeing Russian pogroms, Rebecca and her young son arrive at Ellis Island, entering a world of sweatshops, pushcarts, and the birth of both the American labor movement and American popular song. Featuring music by Charles Strouse (Annie), lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), and a book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), this legendary musical hasn’t been seen in New York in decades. Now, fresh off the heels of the sold-out, acclaimed revival of The Baker’s Wife, CSC reunites with Schwartz and Stein to bring this soaring epic back to the NY stage for one night only!
Ticket prices will range from $150 to $500, and underwriting packages start at $1,500. Underwriters will be featured on all communications regarding this storied show and receive exclusive benefits at the event.Â
