NEW YORK – When Lear deBessonet, the upcoming artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, contemplated her inaugural show as the new leader, she chose something grand, profoundly American — and some unfinished endeavors.
She had recently directed an off-Broadway concert version of “Ragtime” — a substantial, evocative musical celebrating early 20th-century America — which had impressed critics despite its minimalistic production, with actors partially relying on scripts. Could expanding it make it the perfect choice?
“Your goal is to create work that resonates meaningfully in people’s lives, and I truly felt that it did. It wasn’t complete, though,” states the Tony Award-nominated director. “It truly deserved the full blossoming of the concept.”
This autumn, her wish comes true as 33 actors, supported by a 28-piece orchestra, announce her tenure with an enthusiastic Broadway revival of the stage adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s bestselling novel. Previews start Friday, with the opening night set for Oct. 16.
“Ragtime” weaves the tales of three diverse character groups navigating the challenging racial and economic landscapes of 1906 New York City — a Jewish immigrant and his daughter, a privileged white family, and a Black pianist.
“Since ‘Ragtime’ encompasses so many narratives with various protagonists, it offers the chance for audiences to relate in numerous ways that reflect their personal history, their family’s background, and their individual experiences,” she explains.
Tony Award-nominee Joshua Henry leads the cast and views it as the perfect musical for this moment. “How we see each other, how we hear each other is right now at the forefront,” he says.
“I think ‘Ragtime’ puts the spotlight on how we have been successful and not successful doing that in the past, and I feel that’s going to help us move forward.”
Lincoln Center Theater season
The revival is part of a slate of shows that deBessonet is crafting for the multi-Tony Award-winning, three-theater complex on the Lincoln Center campus, one that has built a reputation for new plays and sumptuous revivals of great musicals.
“The work we make here I want it to be something that anyone of any background — whether they are visiting New York City or were born here — could come in and feel restored to humanity, feel connected to other people,” she says. “Part of why I’m such a passionate advocate for the theater as an art form is, I really believe, it’s a place where we can gather across difference.”
DeBessonet this season is also bringing over the London hit “Kyoto,” a political thriller about the climate accords, and a revival of “The Whoopi Monologues” with Kerry Washington and Kara Young. There also will be a family holiday opera and a comedy series in its rooftop off-Broadway venue.
“I feel like always as an artist there’s a natural humility. I’m making an offering. I am cooking dinner for somebody. I’m going to invite them to come and eat dinner at my house and I really hope they enjoy this food. I hope they find it delicious and nourishing,” she said.
Henry has watched deBessonet cook — both leading an arts organization and directing a massive musical. He’s talked to carpenters and electricians and people in the organization and says the mood is buoyant.
“There are some people who have been there for decades and are now talking about just the breath of fresh air that her leadership is bringing,” he says. “If this is any indication of what she’s capable of, Lincoln Center is in phenomenal hands for years to come.”
‘One of the most magical temples’
These are turbulent times for cultural institutions, with President Donald Trump putting pressure on the Smithsonian and Kennedy Center to be more in line with his vision. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been defunded, accused of woke programing.
DeBessonet, whose roots are in Louisiana, calls Lincoln Center Theater “one of the most magical temples of the theater” and that her mission is to “find stories that have deep resonance for our time.”
“We are an organization that supports great artists making great, complex, meaningful, thought-provoking works of art,” she says. “There will be many different viewpoints that are expressed in the art.”
Before coming to her new perch, deBessonet directed productions of “Into the Woods” and “Once Upon a Mattress” that went on Broadway as artistic director of the Encores! program at New York City Center. Now with “Ragtime” she’s taking a third musical to Broadway.
“It’s a story that really invites us to engage our complex, deep feelings about where we are now and where we have come from,” deBessonet says. “It’s exactly the type of work that I think belongs at Lincoln Center Theater.”
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