It’s been a while since Riverside Center for the Performing Arts has had a large-scale production on its stage. Think “Les Misérables” or “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” or in recent memory, “Bright Star.” And what better way to roll out its 25th anniversary season than with “Ragtime,” a show that’s also hitting its own 25th milestone.

Just last week, stars from the original Broadway cast — including Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald — reunited for a one-night-only benefit concert in New York. Even if they weren’t lucky enough to catch that performance, local theatergoers have time to experience this epic heartbreaker, which is onstage at Riverside through early May.