International Rag Dolly Productions

Rag Dolly, a version of the Gibson/Raposo Raggedy Ann musical, has seen surprising popularity overseas and amusingly marketed as an iconic piece of American culture, despite being nearly forgotten in the U.S. It's known as "Тряпичная кукла" and "рэг долли", though productions have been found under names like "ШЁЛКОВОЕ СЕРДЦЕ" which translates to "silk heart" instead. One Ukrainian production which has gender-swapped many of the characters is "Реггеді ЕНДІ" which translated is "Raggedy Andy".

## History

After Rag Dolly’s successful cultural exchange in Moscow, the intent was to leave behind a licensable version of the script in Russian. The script’s translation was provided but the deal fell through with the music, leaving them with only the book itself and its performance rights in questionable legality. Regardless, the show is a hit among the local theaters of Russia and the Ukraine, even without the score. It continues to be performed to this day, with a frequency similar to adaptations of the Wizard of Oz or other beloved fairy tales in the U.S.

Despite being inspired by the show performed at the cultural exchange, the book has taken on a life of its own, separated from its American origins after the many years and iterations. A lot of variation can be seen in the plot, it’s often cut shorter, sometimes down to under an hour in versions without music. It often ends with Mommy and Poppa getting back together. To make up for the lack of the show’s music, productions will use popular songs (often in English), or in some cases create entirely original scores. The tone is often flashier, lighthearted, and entirely aimed at children, while completely unafraid to tackle the show’s darker aspects.

Raggedy Ann is not a well-known character there, and she’s often a generic rag doll with the “raggedy” part taken more literally. Andy bears less resemblance to Ann, and more often than not is appropriately costumed as a clown. The more professional productions have costumes and sets to rival Raggedy Ann’s time on Broadway.

## Notable Productions

### The Voronezh Youth Theater: *Rag Doll* (2013)

Aka *Воронежский ТЮЗ: "Тряпичная кукла"*

General D. intimidates Marcella and the dollsPoppa and MarcellaMommy dances in the cloudsMarcella and her Raggedy Ann dollGeneral D. looming overBat and WolfRaggedy Ann and General D.The Witch gets caught up in her own knotMarcella and the dollsТряпичная Кукла (трейлер спектакля)
### Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theatre: *Rag Dolly* (2014)

Aka *Саратовский академический ТЮЗ им. Ю.П. Киселёва: "Тряпичная кукла"*

Panda, Marcella, and AndyMarcella, Ann, and Andy build the boatPoppa presents Raggedy Ann to MarcellaThe doctors diagnose MarcellaGeneral D. gets tied upEveryone gets a heartOne of the doctorsThe fish attacksRaggedy Ann greets MarcellaВ ТЮЗе поставили спектакль " Тряпичная кукла"Премьера спектакля "Тряпичная кукла" в ТЮЗеMommy and PoppaYellow Yum Yum and the cloudThe fish attacks the shipThe dolls on the boatBat atop the wrecked boatBatGeneral D.'s entrance
### PILGRIM Theater - Studio *Rag Doll Musical* (year unknown)

Aka *Театр-студия "Пилигрим": "Тряпичная кукла"*

ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-1 ч)ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-2 ч)ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-3 ч)ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-4 ч)ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-5 ч)ПИЛИГРИМ Театр-Студия (Тряпичная Кукла-мюзикл-врачи)
### Seversky Theater for Children and Youth *Rag Doll* (2010)

Aka: *Северский театр для детей и юношества: "Тряпичная кукла"*

Raggedy Ann and the WitchPoppa and the Shooting StarThe dolls meet the doll doctorCloudland is Las Vegas themedRaggedy Ann's entranceRaggedy AnnThe doctors argue over MarcellaGeneral D. intimidates the dollsGeneral D. and AndyGeneral D. and BatGeneral D. performs some sort of puppeteeringThe dolls on the boatThe evil trioWolf and BatThe Witch and Raggedy Ann
### International Slavic Institute *Rag Doll* (year unknown)

Aka *Международный славянский институт: "Тряпичная кукла"*

Мюзикл Тряпичная Кукла
### Chernihiv Philharmonic Center *Raggedy Andy* (2016)

Aka *Чернігівський філармонійний центр: "Реггеді Енді"*

Свято Миколая для дітлахів Чернігова - Телеканал Новий Чернігів
### Krasnodar Regional Puppet Theater *Rag Doll* 2010

Aka *Краснодарский краевой театр кукол: "Тряпичная кукла"*