Broadway's Caissie Levy saw this celeb 'rocking out' at 'Ragtime'

NEW YORK – The musical "Ragtime" is set in early 20th-century New York City. The production is based on a 1975 novel and first came to Broadway in 1998.

But for Caissie Levy, one of the stars of the show's latest revival, the story is as relevant as ever.

"I feel like it's showing us the lesson we're learning in the news cycle every day, which is the need to listen to one another and to open ourselves up to ideas that might not come naturally to us," Levy, 44, tells USA TODAY. "It's this American story of these three really distinct groups of people coming together and being changed by one another. ... And I think that's what's resonating with people right now."

In "Ragtime," the journeys of three families are interwoven through racial injustice, struggles and success. Levy plays "Mother," the matriarch of a White upper-class family in New Rochelle, New York. Her family crosses paths with a Black couple from Harlem and Jewish immigrants on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

"No matter what walk of life you come from, there's something in 'Ragtime' that you can hook onto," Levy says. "There's no easy answers in our show. There's no answers, actually. There's just more questions and more conversation, and I think that's what we need."

Levy recalls Broadway shutdown, returning to theater

Levy was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and has performed on Broadway for the past two decades. Among her credits, she originated the role of Elsa in the Disney musical "Frozen." Levy left that role in February 2020 to join the revival of "Caroline, or Change." The night before the production's invited dress rehearsal, Broadway shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The actress, who at the time had one child, moved with her husband, David Reiser, back to Canada for five months. She returned to a much different New York than she had left.

"We drove through Times Square and it was like a ghost town," she recalls. "I cried because I thought: 'Was that it? Are we ever reopening? Is Broadway ever coming back?'"

"Caroline, or Change" did open in 2021, the same year Levy and her husband welcomed a second child. Levy says that with "Ragtime," she feels "lucky every day because it is a show that just means so much to people."

'Ragtime' receives praise, a visit from Lin-Manuel Miranda

The "Ragtime" revival at the Lincoln Center Theater has earned much praise; USA TODAY's Patrick Ryan hailed it as one of the top five Broadway productions of 2025. The show won four Tony Awards for its original Broadway run, with Audra McDonald taking home best featured actress in a musical. A 2009 revival nabbed six Tony nominations. Tony Award nominations will be revealed May 5. The ceremony takes place June 7. As of now, "Ragtime" is set to wrap its run the following week.

Levy says that while the plan is to wrap June 14, "never say never" on an extension. "I think 'Ragtime' is needed right now, so we'll all be there as long as we possibly can be."

Plenty of people have taken notice, including Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. In December 2025, Miranda caught the revival, calling the cast "perfect."

"As soon as the prologue starts, I can spot people," Levy says, adding that she typically tries not to "but sometimes you just can't help it." As she looked out into the audience, she noticed someone "rocking out to 'Ragtime.'" It was Miranda.

"We were so excited to have him there, and he was so kind," she says. "He gave us a lift on a Wednesday matinee, so that was really special."