A Mother Playing Mother, Caissie Levy Finds New Meaning in Ragtime

Caissie Levy has spent her career bringing complex women to life on Broadway, but her latest role hits closer to home than most. As Mother in Ragtime, Levy steps into one of musical theater’s most beloved figures, a woman whose world expands when she allows empathy to reshape her understanding of herself and of others. In conversation she shared how playing Mother has challenged her, inspired her, and deepened her own ideas of parenthood.

Mother enters Ragtime confident that she knows her place in the world. She lives within the comforts of privilege and habit, yet her journey is defined by her willingness to question those comforts. Levy explained that this openness is what gives the character her power. Mother listens, she learns, and she chooses to move toward what is right even when doing so disrupts every certainty she thought she had.

For Levy, becoming a parent in her own life gives the role a new dimension. She brings her maternal instinct into every scene, noticing the child in everyone. That instinct is not something she sets aside when she leaves the theater. She says motherhood has taught her patience, compassion, and a constant awareness of everyone’s need to be seen as human. Playing Mother reinforces those lessons daily.

What makes Levy’s performance stand out is how personal her connection is to Mother’s evolution. She is inspired by the character’s refusal to settle into what is familiar. Mother does not become heroic because she is sure of herself. She becomes heroic because she is willing to be changed. Levy sees this as a model for how she wants to move through life, always seeking the kindest response in the room.

For more information on Ragtime visit LCT.org