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Audra McDonald: "Ragtime"

 Adam Feldman was correct in his first assessment of "Ragtime," the one he formed when he saw the Audra McDonald version: this is a regrettable, sentimentalized Cliffs Notes retelling of E.L. Doctorow's story. Feldman was right to focus on "Make Them Hear You," which seems to turn Coalhouse into an aspirational figure, when (in fact) Coalhouse is another version of Sweeney Todd. (Feldman says he has revised his opinion of the show; if he is being truthful, then he ought to think more carefully.)

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