Ragtime (Image: Finearts Photography/Mercury Summer Stock)
Ragtime tells the story of three ethnic and class groups in and around New York City around the turn of the 20th Century. Ragtime music is king as black influence begins to infiltrate pop-culture and Coalhouse Walker, Jr is a piano aficionado living in Harlem. Immigrants are beginning to shape the trajectory of American history and we meet Tateh, a Jewish Latvian immigrant and his daughter as they try to make a new start in the US. Their stories weave together with that of Father and Mother, an upper class white family from New Rochelle. Their beginnings are different, but fate makes all of their path’s cross, and as a result, none of them will ever be the same.
The original production of Ragtime opened in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now Foxwoods Theatre, home to Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark) in 1998 after preview runs in Toronto and Los Angeles. The show had a star studded cast, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Lea Michele and ran for 2 years and 834 performances before closing in January of 2000. Ragtime was nominated for 13 Tony awards in 1998, it won 4. The Broadway production had critics and audiences divided, and was a financial failure. To be fair, Ragtime opened on Broadway against a juggernaut that is still playing today, Disney’s The Lion King. In fact, that very show is in it’s second US Tour, which opened in 2003 and will hit PlayhouseSquare this week. Ragtime played London’s West End, and has been revived multiple times stateside.
Ragtime (Image: Finearts Photography/Mercury Summer Stock)
Mercury Summer Stock knocks their local production of Ragtime out of the park on several levels, yes I intend to use baseball references, what could be more American? The first is the timing. Choosing to open a show about the American experience on 4th of July weekend is pure genius. You feel a sense of patriotism watching the interwoven stories progress against the backdrop of “Old Glory” painted on distressed wood. The staging in Notre Dame College’s Regina Hall Auditorium, is the second example of this production’s excellence. It’s simple and well executed, almost too simple. There is no doubt in my mind that Director/Choreographer Pierre Jacques-Brault often feels restrained by his new space and it’s lack of a stage house, meaning that all sets have to come in from the limited wings of the auditorium, instead of from above. I can only imagine what his team could do with a proper theatrical stage. The restrictions however, don’t hurt this show. The clever use of chairs, choreography, and an ever present ensemble create a sense of urgency and voyeurism, as though we are by coincidence seeing small snapshots of the turn-of-the-century American experience while life goes on around us.
Ragtime (Image: Finearts Photography/Mercury Summer Stock)
The third, and arguably most important reason this show is a home run is the incredible cast! Lead by AEA (Actor’s Equity Association) members Dana Aber (Mother) and Nicole Sumlin (Sarah), this cast is strong all the way down to the most obscure member of the ensemble. Aber’s performance is so strong that, at first, I expected her to bury everyone in the cast. That was until Sumlin opened her mouth on “Your Daddy’s Son” and the first tears of the evening fell down my face. Other stand-outs include Jonathan Bova, who gives a masterful performance as Tateh, and the handsome and vocally gifted Sean Grandillo (The Lyons) who brings life and charisma to Younger Brother. Grandillo will be a big name on Broadway someday, mark my words. Sara Masterson (another candidate for “big future Broadway star”) is remarkable and hilarious as Evelyn Nesbit and brings the house down with “Crime of the Century.” Alexander Stevenson is vocally strong, and his harmonies are spot on, especially during “New Music” with Dana Aber, but is only passable as Father, seeming at times to recite his lines instead of feeling them. Nicholas Bernard is an absolute delight as Coalhouse Walker, Jr with strong vocals and a beautiful interpretation of the slow descent into internal darkness his character requires.
Ragtime (Image: Finearts Photography/Mercury Summer Stock)
To recap, Ragtime is elegantly staged, perfectly timed, and brilliantly acted. All of the necessary elements combine for an evening of theatre that is heartfelt, moving, powerful, and at times hard to watch. This critic was moved to tears three times before the final bow, it’s that good! We Americans have come a long way as a culture, Ragtime reminds me that we still have a long way to go. Ragtime is an incredible piece of theatre that will not disappoint, except when it closes on July 20th. Grab tickets and information about Ragtime and Mercury Summer Stock at MercurySummerStock.com.
