Caissie Levy Has Been Balancing Broadway and Motherhood for 10 Years. She's Still Learning Lessons (Exclusive)
Caissie Levy Has Been Balancing Broadway and Motherhood for 10 Years. She's Still Learning Lessons (Exclusive)
Dave QuinnSun, May 31, 2026 at 11:45 AM UTC
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Caissie Levy attends the 2026 Tony Awards nominee luncheon on May 28, 2026
Credit: Jenny Anderson/Getty
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Caissie Levy earned her first Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway revival of Ragtime
Levy opens up to PEOPLE about balancing her demanding Broadway schedule with motherhood, crediting her family and support system for helping her thrive
She and her husband David Reiser celebrate 20 years together this fall and share two children
For more than two decades, Caissie Levy has built a reputation as one of Broadway's most beloved leading ladies, originating roles, earning rave reviews and leaving a lasting impression in shows ranging from Hair, Wicked and Ghost to Les Misérables, Caroline, or Change and Frozen.
Now, she's having one of the biggest moments of her career.
Levy earned her first Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in Lincoln Center Theater's acclaimed revival of Ragtime.
As Mother, Levy serves as the musical's emotional center, bringing strength, resolve and a stirring sense of self-discovery to a woman learning to embrace a world much larger than the one she has always known. It's a role that highlights both her vocal power and her remarkable ability to convey an entire emotional journey in the smallest of moments.
For Levy, the role has been "really satisfying" to play.
"It's such a perfectly written role," she tells PEOPLE. "And there's so much to play with and excavate and so much nuance and subtlety that I am drawn to in general in roles, but I get to really sink my teeth into."
Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz in 'Ragtime' on Broadway
Credit: Matthew Murphy
Based on E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel, Ragtime features a book by the late Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Set in early 20th century America, the sweeping musical follows the intersecting lives of a wealthy white family in New Rochelle, a Black musician and his love in Harlem, and a Jewish immigrant and his daughter on the Lower East Side as they navigate a rapidly changing country.
Levy's character begins the show as a conventional upper-class wife and mother, but gradually develops a broader understanding of the world around her as she becomes more independent and socially aware.
One of the most rewarding parts of the role, Levy says, has been watching audiences connect with Mother's evolution in real time.
"I feel like Mother is a character that the audience really sees themselves in," she shares. "And so that's been really fulfilling to get to sort of be their eyes and ears and watch and feel the audience recognizing the change as it happens to Mother."
Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz in 'Ragtime' on Broadway
Credit: Matthew Murphy
Offstage, Levy understands the character from another perspective.
The actress and her husband David Reiser share two children — a 10-year-old son Izaiah and a 5-year-old daughter Talulah Ruby — and she says motherhood has taught her how to quickly switch gears once the curtain comes down each night.
"When you're a mother in real life, you know how to pivot fast," Levy says with a laugh. "I have two young kids. There's no time for any sort of self-indulgence. When I'm offstage, I'm back to momming."
That often means handling parenting duties long after she's left the stage. "Even at 11:00 p.m. I'm making the lunches, I'm making sure the outfits are laid out for the next day so that the mornings are seamless, which of course they never are, but we try," she says.
Caissie Levy and David Reiser at the 2026 Drama League Awards on May 15, 2026
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Like many working parents, Levy says she's had to learn that perfection simply isn't possible. "I think that is the lesson of motherhood," she says. "In the 10 years I've been a mother in real life, I learn that lesson over and over every single day."
Some days are easier than others, she admits, but she's embraced a philosophy that helps keep everything in perspective.
"There's that phrase, 'You can have it all, just not all at the same time,' and I lean into that," Levy says. "I lean into my friends and my family and I have the best partner in the world. And thank God for babysitters. They are the saviors of every working parent everywhere."
Caissie Levy and her kids
Credit: caissielevy/Instagram
The support system she's built with Reiser has been years in the making. The couple, who will celebrate 20 years together this fall and 15 years of marriage in October, were introduced while Levy was touring with Hairspray.
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A mutual friend encouraged them to meet, and Levy quickly realized she wanted to give the blind date a chance. "When I met him at the stage door, I was like, 'Oh, he's handsome. Maybe I do need to go on a date with him,'" she recalls. "And I knew I loved him by like the second or third date."
Today, she says one of her favorite things is watching him as a father.
"He has endless curiosity for the world. He is always the kindest person in the room. He's funny, he's generous, he's talented as hell," Levy says. "And now watching him be a dad, I've fallen in love with him all over again."
Caissie Levy, David Reiser and their children
Credit: caissielevy/Instagram
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While balancing family life and a demanding Broadway schedule can be challenging, Levy says she's grateful to be experiencing this career milestone while surrounded by the people she loves most, including her Ragtime castmates.
"I love doing Ragtime every night with the people in this company," Levy says. "The phrase 'we're a family' is so overused, but I've known so many of these people for years and we've all become really close."
Colin Donnell (right) in 'Ragtime' on Broadway
Credit: Matthew Murphy
Among them is Colin Donnell, who stars opposite her as Father. The two share a longtime friendship (he's married to Patti Murin, who played Anna opposite Levy's Elsa in Broadway's Frozen), and Levy says that off-stage bond creates a deep sense of trust onstage.
"The work Colin does in Ragtime, the task he carries in playing the role of Father, is so difficult to traverse," Levy says. "At first glance, on the page, it could be pretty stock character. But Colin does exceptional job of finding new shades to him, so that even with all the things that are hateful about the character, the audience still feels for him."
"My Mother would not work without his Father," she continues. "And to know that we have him as our rock in that role, and then to know that I have him as my scene partner for so much of the show, is a blessing."
"We just have a shorthand and a history. I appreciate him as an actor so much and as a friend," Levy adds. "And it just further connects me to Patti, which is always a wonderful excuse to get to text my sis, you know?"
Caissie Levy at the opening of 'Ragtime' on Broadway in October 2025
Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
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Relationships like that have taken on new meaning as Levy reflects on the journey that brought her here.
"It's not just the recognition or the dressing up and all the fun of it," she says, of her nomination. "It's the acknowledgment from a community that I've poured my whole life into. Every room I'm in right now is filled with people I've worked with, people I've admired and people I've always hoped to work with. And I feel honored to be among them."
Caissie Levy at the 2026 Tony Awards 'Meet the Nominees' event on May 14, 2026
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Ragtime is nominated for 11 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and performance nominations for Joshua Henry, Brandon Uranowitz, Ben Levi Ross and Nichelle Lewis.
In many ways, Levy believes the timing has made the experience even more meaningful.
"I spent 20 years working with no nominations, no awards. And it never stopped me from doing the work," she says. "So at this point in my career, I think I'm able to fully appreciate how special this moment really is. I don't take a second of it for granted."
Tickets to Ragtime are on sale now. The 2026 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS (beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), and will stream on Paramount+.
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