Theatre / Rag Dolly

1984 ESIPA poster

"I stop and say "golly,
How could it happen to you?"
Could one poor rag dolly plain as can be
Really make someone's wishes come true?"
— The title number, "Rag Dolly", Raggedy Ann

Rag Dolly aka Raggedy Ann or Raggedy Ann, a Musical Adventure (not to be confused with Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure) was a musical with script by William Gibson of The Miracle Worker and music and lyrics by composer Joe Raposo, best known for his work on Sesame Street and The Muppets. The show is based on the origin story of the original Raggedy Ann doll being given to Johnny Gruelle's sick daughter Marcella, and follows the dying child as her Raggedy Ann doll comes to life along with her friends Raggedy Andy, a baby doll, and a stuffed panda bear. Throughout her dream Marcella meets the souls of her dead pets and absent mother, and confronts loss and her own mortality as the toys help her escape death himself, General D.

The show was first performed at the then Empire State Institute for Performing Arts in Albany in 1984 as a second attempt by the program to bring Raggedy Ann to the stage. Joe Raposo had previously worked on the Raggedy Ann & Andy, A Musical Adventure film and several songs were carried over. After another workshop at ESIPA the show made a brief detour to Moscow for a cultural exchange before opening at the Kennedy Center and later on Broadway in 1986. Rag Dolly was produced by Patricia Snyder and directed and choreographed by Pat Birch, and Ivy Austin and Scott Schafer starred as Ann and Andy in these productions. It has not been performed since.

Rag Dolly contains examples of:

• A Dog Named "Dog": Wolf's name is Wolf and Bat's name is Bat. Can be extended as well to the toys creatively named Baby, Camel & Panda.

• All Asians Know Martial Arts: Panda knows karate (or at least, that's how it's labelled. It's doubtful that's what he's actually doing in the fight choreography), and he's Chinese.

• And You Were There: Marcella's father and mother show up in her dream,
  • Her mother as the Shooting Star and Witch in the woods
  • Her father as the Doll Doctor.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: "Andy! Don't be a pest."

• As Long as There Is Evil: General D. is death itself and therefore will always exist in a universe where people are capable of dying. This is why in the end he is only temporarily tricked, and never defeated.

• Asian Speekee Engrish: Yes, unfortunately, Panda speaks in broken English. Though thankfully the swapping "l"s for "r"s and unnecessary "ee"s are omitted.

• Award-Bait Song: "What Did I Lose/Somewhere", the big emotional duet between Ann and the Witch.

• Big Bad: General D. is as big and bad as they come.

• Big Eater: Subverion. "Always hungry, I could do with a bite before I eat" General D. is constantly eating, but it's played seriously and he is often seen munching on what are presumably human bones. Death is ravenous and never satisfied.

• Bigger on the Inside: The dolls emerge from the ragbox which is clearly too small to hold even one.

• Black Comedy Pet Death: Marcella's pets, the dog Red Fang and canary Yum Yum's original deaths are often played for laughs, when the two undead argue about Red Fang having eaten Yum Yum.

• Composite Character: General D combines traits of the antagonists from Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.
  • Being a aggressive leader with a unruly team is like King Koo Koo.
  • His desire to marry Marcella is like how The Pirate Captain wants to marry Babette.
  • But being a dangerous and powerful entity who will do anything to get what he wants without remorse is like The Greedy.

• Cradle of Loneliness: Poppa holds on to Marcella's baby shoe to remind him of his absent, likely deceased wife, and Mommy carries to other shoe in the pair to remind her of her husband and daughter.

• Darker and Edgier: The musical is definitely a good deal darker than the animated movie, not to mention the original Raggedy Ann books. Marcella is a dying girl, and the fear of death is a prominent theme. Even the song "I'm Just A Rag Dolly," one of the two songs reprised from the movie, has been given new lyrics and had gone from being a friendly welcoming song to a song about feeling lost and hopeless.

• Dark Reprise:
  • A reprise of "The Light", a previously joyful song sung when the dolls first come to life, is sung as Ann sacrifices herself so Marcella can live.
  • This also is subverted slighty with the song Make Believe and it's reprises, in which the first is dark (sung by an arguing Ann and General D., the second soft and sweet (sung by Ann and Marcella), and the third depressing (sung by the Witch as she considers suicide.

• Defanged Horrors: What the show attempted to achieve. Later productions, after parent complaints, removed the goriest mentions of things such as animal slaughterhouses and skeletons in the trees. Much of the shows more existential horrors remained.

• Delicate and Sickly: Marcella

• Dirty Old Man: General D. often flirts with Bat and calls her pet names, her being a young adult and him being an immortal harbinger of death portrayed at least 50 years old. He also wishes to make Marcella his bride, prompting Bat to remark that she's "one billionth your age".

• Divorce Is Temporary: Subverted. In the clouds, Marcella wishes her parents were back together again. Her father fends off the advances of the other man, wins back his wife, and the chorus sings a wedding march as everything seems to be going right. But it's only visions, make believe, and all falls apart.

• Downer Beginning: The show does open with a divorce, dead pets, and a dying little girl after all.

• Dramatic Thunder: General D's entrance, as well as his later appearance at sea, are accompanied by thunder at his command.

• Dream Land: While the cities such as Miami, Omaha, and L.A. are recognizable names Marcella and the dolls' journey takes place in a dream land where reality is warped and fantastical things happen.

• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Besides Wolf, Bat, Camel, Panda, and Baby's names being what they are we also have the Witch, the Shooting Star, the Rat in the Rolls Royce, and the Doll Doctor.

• Eye Scream: While we don't see it, General D. sacrificed his eye to receive his all-seeing ring, implied to be a painful experience.

• Eyepatch of Power: General D. is missing one eye, so often is portrayed with an eyepatch.

• Exit, Pursued by a Bear: In the woods, the Witch is chased off by the appearance of the Wolf.

• Faceless Eye: A giant eye in the sky sees everything unfold, and can be used to spy on events via a corresponding eye ring.

• Fed to the Beast: After Bat's death she is returned to a canary, who is then fed to Wolf.

• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Andy & Ann.

• Fur Against Fang: While possibly unintentional, the humanoid Wolf & Bat's rivalry fulfills the Werewolf vs Vampire trope.

• Ghost Song: "He Comes Riding" or (alt. I Come Riding) is sung by the dead, about the dead.

• Hakuna Matata: "The Light" besides being exposition on the different doll characters, is also very upbeat and encouraging.

• Healthcare Motivation: Marcella's father has used up "his last nickel" to pay for her doctors.

• Heel–Face Door-Slam: Wolf, General D.'s henchman is killed by him before his arc is completed. After witnessing Bat's death, Wolf no longer wants to work for General D. and spares Marcella's life in the woods. He tells them to fun off and "make me look good here" but it clearly does not go as planned, as next time we hear of him he has been killed for his insubordination.

• Hero vs. Villain Duet: Ann & General D. sing (well, she does most of the singing) "Make Believe".

• Hesitant Sacrifice: Ann is at first hesitant to give up her candy heart to save Marcella's life but is encouraged by the other dolls and her own sense of divine purpose.

• Howl of Sorrow: When Bat is killed by General D. Wolf lefts out a long, mournful howl.

• If It Swims, It Flies: Andy builds a boat, which just in the nick of time is lifted up out of the water by a big balloon and the flapping of sheets.

• Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Panda's musical themes are based on the vague "oriental" music style. He also knows Karate, despite being Chinese.

• It Was with You All Along: The dolls set off to find a Doll Doctor to cure Marcella, but when they find him he reveals that the only way to cure her is a heart replacement, specifically an "I love you" heart, which Ann has. Marcella eats the candy heart and is cured.

• Interrupted Suicide: In the woods the dolls come across the Witch, who is attempting to hang herself on a tree. Just in time, Baby runs in prompting her to drop everything.

• Killed Offscreen: Wolf is killed offstage.

• List Song: "Diagnosis" is largely a list song of Marcella's various illnesses

• Living Toys: Marcella's toys come to life in her dream.

• Location Song: "Mexico!"

• Love Imbues Life: Ann's "I love you" candy heart sewn to her by Marcella's father is what makes her more alive than the others, able to change things.

• Magical Asian: Panda quotes many proverbs, and says he is a "student of life". He also sees a bottle that has been previously hidden, the only explanation given being "student, human nature".

• Manipulative Bastard: General D. encourages Bat's romantic interest in him only to string her along to do his bidding, as well as being generally manipulative to everyone around him.

• Melancholy Musical Number: "What Did I Lose/Somewhere"

• Minor Character, Major Song: In the 1984 production, Wolf was given the song "He Comes Riding".

• Missing Mom: Marcella's mom is absent, supposedly carried off by other man. We learn later she likely committed suicide.

• Musical Number Annoyance: During "Make Believe" and especially "A Little Music" General D. states how much he hates singing and refuses to cooperate.

• Never Trust a Trailer: The show was advertised as a child-friendly family show based on the G-rated animated Raggedy Ann movie and the always child-focused Raggedy Ann stories. The writer apparently didn't get the memo (or more accurately, he didn't care and no one was brave enough to step in) and the show's dark subject matter got it in hot water with local mothers.

• No Song for the Wicked: When General D.'s villain song "He Comes Riding" is given to Wolf in the 1984 production, he no longer sings. Understandable considering how vocal he is about his hatred of music, but the song was given back to him later.

• Of Corsets Sexy: Bat wears a corset and tights in the original productions.

• Opening Chorus: The show starts with the song Gingham and Yarn sung by the ensemble of Raggettes. They re-appear to open act 2 and close the show.

• Or Was It a Dream?: After Marcella wakes up perfectly healthy in her bed, she finds that her Raggedy Ann doll is indeed missing its candy heart. Ann appears secretly to wave at the audience.

• Parental Love Song: "Carry On"

• Patter Song: Diagnosis is a patter song.

• Politically Incorrect Villain: General D. intends to marry a literal child, and makes several incredibly racist jokes at the expense of Panda.

• Promotion to Parent: While Ann & Andy never had canonical parents, Ann has taken on the role of parent for her little brother, the rest of the dolls, and Marcella too.

• Right-Hand Attack Dog: Wolf, while anthropomorphic, is a dog and General D.'s henchman. He's often sent to intimidate and attack the dolls, and is kept on a leash.

• "Setting Off" Song: "Mexicooooooo"

• Show Stopper: The title song "Rag Dolly", especially with the final belt added for Broadway, as well as "What Did I Lose/Somewhere".

• Sinister Tango Music: During Something in the Air, when the "rat in the Rolls Royce" appears, he steals Mommy away into a tango.

• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Ann's duty is to be cheery and raise everyone's hopes, while Marcella is understandably pessimistic about her own mortality. Ann is also often at odds with General D., the ultimate nihilist, who believes that life is meaningless and the only true peace is in death. Ann's peppy optimistic outlook is challenged throughout the show.

• Soap Opera Disease: Marcella suffers from a mysterious illness with the only confirmed symptoms being fever and chills. She is told by the doctors she won't last the night, and by General D. that she will die at 6am.

• "Somewhere" Song: "MEXICOOOOOOOOOOO"

• Soundtrack Dissonance: Given the disconnect between the two creatives, the plot and music are often at odds tonally. Alternatively: the song Diagnosis.
• The Power of Love: The "I love you" candy heart is what brings Ann to life, and eventually Ann gives it Marcella to cure her of her illness, sacrificing her own life.

• "The Villain Sucks" Song: In the 1984 production alone, He Comes Riding was sung by the henchman Wolf about his master’s evildoings and the inevitability of death

• Three Wishes: When in the clouds, Marcella is told her wishes will be answered and asks "can it be three? it's always three wishes come true". They do.

• South of the Border: In the song "Mexico", it as well as other Latin American countries are named and listed with various stereotypes and vague references to them being impoverished.

• Stalking is Love: Wolf is obsessive over Bat, following her everywhere, and everyone but Bat seems to consider this a reasonable display of affection.

• Unnamed Parent: Mommy and Poppa are all they’re ever known as.

• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The story is loosely based on the origin of the first Raggedy Ann doll. The girl's name is Marcella, the same as Gruelle's daughter, and she is terminally ill. But the similarities stop there. The real Raggedy Ann wasn't made by Gruelle, supposedly found by him in an attic.

• Villain Love Song: Bat, a minor villain, sings a seductive song to distract Andy and steal the map.

• Villain Song: In the 1985 production and all since, He Comes Riding (Alt. I Come Riding) is sung by General D. about his own evildoings and the inevitability of death

• Voluntary Shapeshifting: General D. is able to transform himself into a fish and a giant hand.

• Welcoming Song: "Welcome to L.A." It's even in the title!

• Would Hurt a Child: The villains General D., Bat, and Wolf are fully ready to kill this child. On the "hero" side Andy couldn't originally care less about Marcella's safety.

• You Dirty Rat!: While it did not make it onstage in every production, General D. is a giant rat and a very nasty one. Often found doing rat-like things like gnawing on bones. The "Stranger" who steals Mommy away is also called the "rat in the Rolls Royce" and the "prince of rats".

• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After Bat attempts to mutiny, she is killed by General D. He later kills Wolf as well for not following orders.

• Your Days Are Numbered: Marcella is set to die by 6 AM.

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