This has been a huge week for Caissie Levy. The musical theater veteran was nominated for her first Tony Award on Tuesday (May 5), earning a nod for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical for her work in the Broadway revival of Ragtime.
“To be nominated for the first time means so much to me,” Levy told New York Theatre Guide after the news broke. “I’m truly overwhelmed and can’t stop smiling. And now, I’m going to drop my kids off at school! Balance.”
With Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday (May 10), it’s a fitting week for her Tony nom, given that she plays the role of Mother in the celebrated production. Ragtime isn’t Levy’s first matriarchal turn, either – she played Diana Goodman, a mother with bipolar disorder, in the West End premiere of Next to Normal (and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2024 for it) and previously played mothers in Caroline, Or Change and Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter.
The Ontario-born actress is a mother in real life, too: Levy has two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, with David Reiser. To celebrate mothers on- and offstage, Levy shared a Mother’s Day playlist with Billboard of 10 of her favorite mother-related songs. Naturally, Broadway is represented (via a classic from Into the Woods), but the playlist encompasses many musical styles and eras, from Joni Mitchell to Ms. Lauryn Hill to Foy Vance.
Check out Caissie Levy’s Mother’s Day playlist below, as well as her personal thoughts and recollections about each song and why it hits close to home for her.
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“The Mother” by Brandi Carlile
“This song wrecks me and is, dare I say, one of the best tunes ever written about motherhood and all it’s complicated emotions.”
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“Little Green” by Joni Mitchell
“There is no The Mother without Joni’s ‘Little Green.’ Another perfect piece of writing.”
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“To Zion” by Ms. Lauryn Hill
“The lyric ‘now the joy of my world lives in Zion’ is perfection, never mind how she sounds as she sings this phrase.”
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“Everything Changes” by Sara Bareilles
“This was playing as my son was born. It will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
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“Que Sera, Sera” performed by Doris Day
“This classic makes me think of my Bubbie Freda who used to sing this to me. Very wise words.”
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“Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder
“This song captures the utter elation I feel when I look at my babies.”
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“Children Will Listen” by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Eleri Ward
“Eleri’s version of this brilliant song is ethereal.”
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“Love Like This” by Ben Rector
“The pre-chorus gets me big time. Gorgeous song about becoming a parent.”
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“Coco” by Foy Vance
“My husband, David, sang this to our daughter daily when she was first born and it reminds me of those early days with her.”
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“Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III
“Parenthood, and all its chaos and joy, perfectly summed up.”
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