‘Ragtime’ – Book by
Terrence McNally; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Based on
the novel ‘Ragtime’ by E.L. Doctorow;
Directed by Nick Vargas; Musical Direction by Jon Goldberg; Choreography by
Nailah Randall-Bellinger; Scenic Design by Lindsay Genevieve Fuori; Scenic
Painting by Matthew Lazure; Costume
Design by Zoë Sundra; Lighting Design by Aja
Jackson; Sound Design by B.C.
Williams; Props by Elizabeth
Rocha. Presented by Wheelock Family Theater at Boston University; Fenway
Campus, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215 through February 17
BOX INFO: Two-act Tony Award-winning musical, based on EL
Doctorow’s novel, book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and
lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, presented by Wheelock Family Theatre through Feb. 17:
Friday, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. recommended for ages 10+.
200 Riverway, Boston. 617-353-3001, WFTTix@bu.edu,
wheelockfamilytheatre.org.
Attending a Wheelock Family Theatre matinee recently, I
wondered how the 31-strong cast, Director Nick Vargas and production crew could
make its production of 1998 Tony Award-winning musical, “Ragtime,” family-friendly.
Based on E.L. Doctorow’s stirring novel, with book by Terrence McNally,
“Ragtime” isn’t a happy, tappy, song-and-dance musical. It’s set in the turn of
the 20th century and beyond, when immigrants came here seeking the American
dream, and immigrants, African-Americans, Jews, and others endured poverty,
racism, bigotry, social inequality and more. The 2-1/2-hour play ends on a sad
note, but with hope of a better future. It kinda sounds like today’s searing
headlines, with throngs of dreamers – oppressed, frightened people with the
same hope coming here – but they’re barred from entering our borders, families
separated, and detained in camps.
Company Theatre celebrates the start of their 40th Anniversary season with the 1998 hit musical “Ragtime” which is based on E. L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel. The epic sweep of this musical is captured in its opening prologue, a nine minute kaleidoscope of fictional characters mingling with historical ones. At the dawn of the twentieth century, everything is changing and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting part of turn of the century, New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together, that of a stifled upper class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician. They are all united by their courage, compassion and belief in the promise of the future. Together they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and what it means to live in America. This epic musical is excellently directed by Zoe Bradford and Jordie Saucerman. They capture the flavor and the essence of early 1900 New York. This is definitely one show not to be missed. The talented cast is rewarded with a resounding standing ovation.This is the first show I reviewed for them back in 2003, making this my 15th year of reviewing shows at Company Theatre. Back then the show was viewed as “Wow, what progress we’ve made in this new century”, but 15 years later, it is, “Yikes this is the stuff that is still happening in America now!”
Welcome to the turn of the century with “Ragtime”, the closing musical of Trinity Rep’s season. This 1998 hit musical is based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel. Trinity begins the show in a contemporary room setting and from there we go back in time to 1905 with the epic sweep of this musical being captured in the opening prologue, a nine minute kaleidoscope of fictional characters mingling with historical figures from the early twentieth century. The cast is in current day costumes during most of Act 1 to reflect that what happened back then is happening now, too. As the story continues, we meet pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. and his child’s mother, Sarah being taken in by a respectable WASP family in New Rochelle, NY. This family is ruled by “Father”, a patriarchal figure who dominates his household and submissive wife, “Mother” with his overbearing presence. Parallel storylines of the Jewish Latvian immigrant Tateh who unwittingly finds himself involved in the birth of the motion picture industry after inventing a flipbook for his young daughter as well as the real life entertainer, Evelyn Nesbit, the magician Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan and the anarchist Emma Goldman eventually mingle and merge. This epic production boasts stellar performances from this talented cast with phenomenal insight and direction by Curt Columbus, Trinity’s artistic director, musical director, Michael Rice and choreographer, Sharon Jenkins as they capture the flavor and essence of the early 1900’s being comparable to current day happenings. Their combined expertise garners the entire cast a resounding standing ovation at the close of this breathtaking musical extravaganza.
‘Ragtime’ – Based on a novel written by E. L. Doctorow. Book by Terrence McNally, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and Music by Stephen Flaherty. Directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn; Scenic Design by Tim Mackabee; Lighting Design by Richard Latta; Sound Design by Kevin Heard. Costumes based on original designs by Santo Loquasto and Coordinated by Molly Walz. Music Direction by Jeffrey Campos; Choreography by Jesse Robb. Presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse, 102 Main St (Rte 1), Ogunquit, ME through August 26.
Towards the end of the second act of “Ragtime”, now being given an artistically brilliant and emotionally unsettling staging at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Kirsten Scott (as Mother) delivers a breathtaking version of one of the Tony Award-winning musical’s standout numbers, “Back to Before”. The final line, “We can never go back to before,” refers not only to her transformation from subservient wife to self-actualized woman, but also to the larger issues that were changing (for the better) at the turn of the 20th century, such as the strengthening labor and woman suffrage movements, as well as the notion that “negroes” and immigrants might actually be people too.
