Joshua Henry recalls Met Gala jitters as ‘Ragtime’ acclaim builds toward Tony Awards

NEW YORK — At a recent event celebrating this year’s Tony nominees, Joshua Henry, star of “Ragtime,” reflected on his Met Gala performance of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Henry says he was more nervous than he has ever been on a Broadway stage, largely because he was worried about tumbling down the staircase mid-song.

“Those steps,” he said, laughing. “We didn’t have much time to rehearse on them. I’m like, can you imagine? I want to dance, and it’s just tap, tap, tap all the way down. I was just trying to keep my eyes up the whole time.”

Fortunately for Henry, his footing onstage remains steady eight performances a week. That consistency has helped make him one of Broadway’s standout performers this season, with acclaim continuing to build around his turn as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Broadway’s revival of “Ragtime.” An even bigger moment may lie ahead at the Tony Awards ceremony on June 7.

Henry did not hear his own nomination announced live. The morning after the May 4 Met Gala, Henry and his wife, Cathryn, were back at the hotel FaceTiming their children at home.

“Mommy and Daddy got to go,” Henry told them, but the kids wanted to hear more about the night before.

“They wanted to talk about the gala opening number, and so we logged off from the FaceTime and then we missed my category, which was the first category for best leading actor in a musical.”

That moment felt fitting for Henry, who says becoming a husband and father reshaped how he sees success, patience, and gratitude. The four-time Tony nominee credits his wife and three sons as his grounding force.

That perspective also informs his work in one of Broadway’s most demanding roles. Playing Coalhouse Walker Jr., the Black pianist whose life is upended by a racist attack, remains a challenge.

Henry credits the late Terrence McNally for crafting a powerful book based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel, along with the sweeping score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

“What they did so well is they showed people at their extremes. They show them when they’re on the verge of making a huge choice, just like America was on the verge in 1908 of making a huge choice and asking itself more questions about its identity than ever, not unlike this moment,” Henry said.

He believes that sense of emotional connection continues to bring audiences back to the show.

“They’re seeing themselves as Americans and seeing their journeys individually.”

That journey becomes even more notable considering the musical opened during one of Broadway’s more complicated seasons, where rising costs, tight competition for audiences, and pressure on weekly box office numbers have made sustainability difficult. Even critically acclaimed shows can struggle to maintain momentum.

“They really do. Especially if you open in the fall. And we were one of the first to open in the season. So, you know, we thankfully got extended a couple times.”

That success stands in sharp contrast to Henry’s first starring role on Broadway in “The Scottsboro Boys,” a musical inspired by the real-life case. Henry played a young Black man falsely accused of a crime who becomes one of the story’s emotional centers as he refuses to sign a confession in exchange for parole.

The 2010 production earned strong reviews and multiple award nominations but struggled commercially. Even so, the production became an important chapter in Henry’s career, placing him alongside another rising performer, Colman Domingo.

The production earned both actors their first Tony nominations.

Now, Henry finds himself leading the second Broadway revival of Ragtime. Starring opposite Nichelle Lewis, Henry has stepped into a role originally made iconic by Brian Stokes Mitchell, while Lewis follows Audra McDonald in the role that earned McDonald the first of her record-breaking six Tony Awards for acting.

Having both legends attend opening night was especially meaningful for Henry. He recalled listening to the original cast recording as a young performer and hoping that he could someday move audiences the same way. Years later, after working alongside McDonald and Mitchell, Henry says their warmth and encouragement gave him a deeper sense of belonging within the Broadway community.

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