Nearly a decade after “Dear Evan Hansen” put him on the theatrical map, Ben Levi Ross is moving audiences to tears with a chilling performance in a musical that, as both he and director Lear deBessonet have put it, “holds the promise and the wound of America so closely with each other, next to each other.”

The Los Angeles-born actor and singer stars in the Broadway revival of “Ragtime,” now playing at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York. He plays a character identified by the show’s young storyteller, Little Boy (Nick Barrington), as Mother’s Younger Brother, a member of an upper-class white family that includes his sister, Mother (Caissie Levy), and brother-in-law, Father (Colin O’Donnell), in New York circa 1902.

Despite his life of privilege, Younger Brother feels confined by the monotony of his day-to-day routine, especially when his efforts to win the affections of vaudeville performer Evelyn Nesbit (Anna Grace Barlow) fail.

It’s after he is introduced to a Russian American activist, Emma Goldman (Shaina Taub), that he becomes politically engaged and determined to serve as an ally to the local Black community, including musician Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Joshua Henry) and his wife, Sarah (Nichelle Lewis).

The role also gives Ross two showstoppers, “The Night that Goldman Spoke in Union Square” and “He Wanted to Say,” which he performs with Henry and Taub. It’s a testament to his performance that Younger Brother’s evolution between the show’s two acts feels so distinct, yet nuanced.

“Younger Brother, to me, represents a lot of hope, in the sense that people can change,” Ross told HuffPost. “People have the ability to have their souls and their minds changed on a dime when they are opened up to different experiences. Obviously [my character] takes drastic measures, but ... perhaps people will feel inspired about standing up for what they believe in.”

“Ragtime,” which features music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and a book by Terrence McNally, is adapted from E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 historical fiction novel of the same name. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1998 with a cast of actors that have since become household names, including Audra McDonald and Lea Michele.

Still, it’s safe to say the show’s take on racism and antisemitism feels more topical than ever in the current sociopolitical climate. Though the Lincoln Center production opened in October of last year, it was originally presented at New York’s City Center as part of its “Encores!” series in fall of 2024, just as the U.S. presidential election was in its final weeks.

“Week one was the anxiety pre-election, and week two was however you felt post-election,” Ross recalled. “What we were doing felt like an act of service past that election week, and when we got past that first show after the election, we were like, ‘OK, so we’re feeling the energy from the audience. People are needing this. We actually need it as well.’ It’s something in my career I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

Though some audience members have asked if material was added to make the show resonate even more deeply, Ross said, “Not a single word was changed from the original production ― which is, in a lot of ways, kind of devastating and also beautiful in the sense that audiences are leaving reflecting on how little has changed.”

Earlier this week, it was announced that “Ragtime” had received a total of eight Drama Desk Award nominations, including a nod for Ross in the Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical category. The show is also expected to be a front-runner in many categories at this year’s Tony Awards, set to take place in June.

The musical is one of several projects keeping Ross in the spotlight these days. He can also be seen as Teddy Tascioni, the son of Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), on CBS’s “Elsbeth,” which was recently renewed for a fourth season.

In 2024, he starred in “Gatsby: An American Myth,” a stage adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” featuring music by Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, in Boston. He began establishing himself as a singer-songwriter in his own right when he released a debut solo album under the name Boychik, reflecting both his Jewish and LGBTQ+ identity, in 2022.

The response to those projects ― and “Ragtime” in particular ― “makes me feel really validated as an artist,” Ross said, noting: “This is the kind of work I want to be doing for the rest of my career.”

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