Posts Tagged ‘ragtime’

Impeccably Staged “Ragtime” Impresses at STAGES

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Ragtime
Book by Terrence McNally, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Directed by Deidre Goodwin
Choreographed by Michelle Potterf
STAGES St. Louis
September 25, 2024

Cast of Ragtime
Photo by Phillip Hamer Photography
STAGES St. Louis

Ragtime is a big, intense show, with historical significance and a profound, timeless message. I’ve seen three productions of the show now, all in St. Louis, with the latest being the truly superb production currently running at STAGES St. Louis. It’s a show that’s sweeping in scope, with thoughtful staging and strong performances that lend a personal element to the story, and the production values are simply stunning.

Based on a novel by E. L. Doctorow that was previously adapted for film in 1981, Ragtime has a lot of characters and a complex, interwoven plot involving three groups in Turn-of-the-2oth-Century New York and beyond. First, there are the affluent white residents of New Rochelle, represented by Mother (Marissa McGowan), Father (Dan Fenaughty), Mother’s Younger Brother (Matthew Cox), Grandfather (Whit Reichart), and the Little Boy (Kyle Holmes), who live a privileged existence outside the hustle and bustle of New York City, where the Black residents of Harlem live and work, including ragtime musician Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Tamar Greene); and where immigrants from Eastern Europe and elsewhere arrive daily, including Tateh (Brian Golub) and his daughter, the Little Girl (Zoe Klevorn). These characters’ lives start out separately but soon become entangled, as Coalhouse’s estranged girlfriend Sarah (Shereen Pimentel) and their infant son are taken in by Mother while Father is away on an expedition, and Tateh and the Little Girl briefly meet Mother and the Little Boy while heading to Boston from New York in search of a better life. Also, Coalhouse, who has been looking for Sarah, makes frequent trips to New Rochelle in his brand new Model T Ford car to woo her back, riling up racist fire chief Willie Conklin and his cronies (Scott Moreau) in the process, which eventually leads to tragedy and life-changing situations for all involved.

In the midst of the fictional stories, real historic figures such as Harry Houdini (Jonathan Cobrda), Evelyn Nesbit (Sarah Ellis), Emma Goldman (Elora Von Rosch), Booker T. Washington (Omega Jones), Henry Ford (Steve Isom), J.P. Morgan (John Flack) and others figure into the story, interacting with the main characters while also serving as representatives of the ideals and values of the times. It’s a sweeping, heavily plotted story but all the threads are fit together well, and the score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens is powerful, influenced by the sounds of the times including vaudeville and, obviously, ragtime. The band here, led by music director E. Reneé Gamez, is excellent, filling the stage with that marvelous score and supporting the actors’ excellent vocals well.

The cast is remarkable, and the most well-rounded I’ve seen in a production of this show, even though both previous productions I have seen were excellent. STAGES has taken this show to the next level, with a well-measured staging that emphasizes the emotion and scope while especially highlighting character and personal connection, and the stellar cast is a large part of why this staging works so well. From what I’ve seen before, the stories of Coalhouse and Sarah, and Mother’s journey of discovery have tended to overshadow Tateh’s story to a degree. Here, all three main stories seem to be given equal weight, with dynamic turns from Greene in a powerful portrayal of the increasingly determined Coalhouse, McGowan in a thoughtful and vocally impressive performance as Mother, and Golub shining as the enterprising and charming Tateh, who displays credible chemistry with McGowan. in his developing friendship with Mother. Pimentel is also remarkable as Sarah, making the most of her moments with Greene’s Coalhouse. Other standouts include Cox as the initially aimless Younger Brother, Von Rosch as the activist firebrand Goldman, Ellis as the perky starlet Nesbit, and Reichert in a fun, mostly comic turn as the curmudgeonly Grandfather. The child performers, Holmes and Klevorn, are also impressive, more than holding their own with the adult members of the cast. It’s a strong ensemble all around, with strong voices and vivid characterization, contributing much credibility and weight to this story.

This is a fantastic looking show, as well, with a vivid, dynamic set by Robert Mark Morgan that utilizes moving set pieces to excellent effect. There are also exquisitely designed costumes by Brad Musgrove that add to the visual interest of the story as well as the period setting and tone. Sean M. Savoie’s lighting is also dazzling, in keeping with the broad scope and epic tone of the story that’s being told. The sound mixing was a little uneven on the night I saw the show, with some characters being difficult to hear at times, but this did improve in the second act, and I hope it continues to improve as the show’s run continues.

This is, to put it simply, the best production of Ragtime I have seen. If you love this show, you won’t want to miss this, and if you haven’t seen it before, this is an excellent introduction to this stirring, thought-provoking show. It exceeded my lofty expectations, and it’s a powerful way to close out this already excellent season at STAGES. 

Shereen Pimentel, Tamar Greene
Photo by Phillip Hamer Photography
STAGES St. Louis

STAGES St. Louis is presenting Ragtime at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center until October 20, 2024

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Union Avenue Opera’s “Ragtime” Highlights Excellent Vocals, Sweeping Story

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Ragtime
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Terrence McNally
Directed by Shaun Patrick Tubbs
Choreographed by Leah Tubbs
Union Avenue Opera
August 18, 2023

Cast of Ragtime
Photo by Dan Donovan Photography
Union Avenue Opera

Union Avenue Opera’s relatively new tradition of staging compelling musical theatre productions continues with their 2023 season closing show, Ragtime. This is a big show, with a large cast that, as is fitting for an opera company, especially highlights the superb vocals of its well-chosen cast. It’s also a detailed, well-produced show in a technical sense.

Based on E. L. Doctorow’s celebrated novel, Ragtime tells the intersecting stories of three distinct groups of people and the times in which they live, featuring actual events and celebrities of the time interacting with Doctorow’s original characters. The focal characters include the white residents of affluent New York City suburb New Rochelle, represented by obtuse, world-traveling Father Eric J. McConnell, and pampered Mother (Debby Lennon), along with their son Edgar (Gavin Nobbe), Mother’s aimless Younger Brother (James Stevens), and the curmudgeonly Grandfather (Chuck Lavazzi). Meanwhile, in Harlem, Black ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Nyghél J. Byrd) entertains and develops a following, but he has grand plans involving a young woman, Sarah (Jazmine Olwalia), with whom he has had a relationship and wants to renew the connection after Sarah has fled to New Rochelle and is taken in by Mother, along with her newborn son. Meanwhile, Tateh (Marc Shapman), and his daughter, the Little Girl (Nora Sprowls) are newly arrived Jewish immigrants from Latvia, and Tateh struggles to provide a safe, prosperous life for his daughter in the midst of poverty and discrimination. When Coalhouse, who has recently bought a shiny new Model-T car, starts spending many days in New Rochelle courting Sarah, he rouses the ire of racist fire chief Willie Conklin (Philip Touchette) and his cronies, who vandalize Coalhouse’s car and set into motion a series of events that eventually lead to profound tragedy and upheaval, as the 20th Century begins on a dramatic note and the various characters pursue their hopes and dreams in the midst of conflict and turmoil.  

There’s a lot happening in this story, and the writers do well in blending all the plotlines in, with historical events and figures being seamlessly inserted into the overarching story, as some of these characters–especially anarchist and activist Emma Goldman (Liya Khaimova)–serving as occasional narrators and commentators. Other figures like performer Evelyn Nesbit (Gina Malone), illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini (Joel Rogier), and educator Booker T. Washington (Miles Brenton) play more prominent roles in the story along with the main characters, including Mother, Tateh, and Coalhouse and Sarah. It’s a sweeping story, and Union Avenue Opera has brought together a large cast and a more elaborate set than I’ve seen before at this venue, with the result being a compelling, emotional, and thought-provoking work that highlights a truly remarkable score.

The voices are magnificent, led by Byrd and Olwalia, who both give excellent performances and fill the sanctuary at Union Avenue Christian Church with their stellar vocals and convincing performances. These two are the heart of this production, but the rest of the cast is also strong, from the always excellent Lennon as Mother, to Stevens as the gradually more determined Younger Brother, to Schapman as the dedicated and creative Tateh. There’s a strong ensemble all around, and the group numbers especially shine, from the Act 1 ending “Till We Reach That Day” to the stirring finale. It can be a little difficult to hear the spoken dialogue from the balcony, but the supertitles (designed by Touchette) are especially helpful in this regard. The singing, and the marvelous orchestra led by conductor Scott Schoonover, were especially evident. 

Technically, this production is more than impressive. It’s stunning, especially in terms of the set by Patrick Huber and the meticulously crafted costumes by Teresa Doggett. There’s also excellent lighting by Huber that helps set and maintain the tone of the story as it unfolds. 

Ragtime is another strong production from Union Avenue Opera. As a musical with the scope of an opera and a challenging vocal score, this is an especially appropriate choice for an opera company to produce. It works well as a showcase for a strong cast of excellent singers, and it’s worth seeing–and hearing–for yourself. 

Nyghél J. Byrd, Jazmine Olwalia
Photo by Dan Donovan Photography
Union Avenue Opera

Union Avenue Opera is presenting Ragtime at Union Avenue Christian Church until August 26, 2023

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A Remarkable “Ragtime” at Stray Dog Theatre

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Ragtime, the Musical
Book by Terrence McNally, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Based on the Novel by E.L. Doctorow
Directed by Justin Been
Choreographed by Mike Hodges
Stray Dog Theatre
August 3, 2017

Cast of Ragtime
Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre

“Ambitious” is a good word to describe Stray Dog Theatre’s production of Ragtime, just thinking about it. SDT isn’t a huge company, and their venue, the Tower Grove Abbey, isn’t that big either, but Ragtime is a big musical, in terms of casting, technical demands, and overall scope. This is one of those situations that might make someone wonder if a production like this would even work. Fortunately, however, this production does work, extremely well.

Based on E. L. Doctorow’s sprawling, heavily plotted novel, the musical Ragtime is grand in scope, examining life in New York City and its suburbs in the early 20th Century, and the major societal changes that were going on during that time. There’s a lot of story here, and the writers deserve credit for fitting all the plots into a coherent and fascinating musical. Real historical figures such as Emma Goldman (Laura Kyro), Harry Houdini (Joseph Gutowski), J.P. Morgan (Gerry Love), Henry Ford (Jason Meyers), Evelyn Nesbit (Angela Bubash), and Booker T. Washington (Terry Lee Watkins, Jr.) appear in the show interacting with the fictional characters and helping to set the scene and paint a picture of the times. The three main plots involve characters from different backgrounds living in a world of class and racial tensions, systemic racism and discrimination, as well as the rise of immigration, changes in technology and societal expectations, and more.  There’s an upper-class family in the rich, and very white, suburb of New Rochelle, featuring a somewhat obtuse but world exploring Father (Phil Leveling), a cynical Grandfather (Chuck Lavazzi), a pampered Mother (Kay Love) who is learning that the world isn’t as simple as she had thought, and the Little Boy, Edgar (Joe Webb).  Against the expectations of society, Mother takes in a young black woman, Sarah (Evan Addams) and her newborn son. The child’s father is ragtime piano player Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Omega Jones), who wants to marry Sarah and has big dreams for their future as a family. There’s also Tateh (Jeffrey M. Wright), a Jewish immigrant artist from Latvia who arrives in New York with his daughter (Avery Smith) looking to make a new life in America. This is only the beginning, though. Complications occur for everyone involved, as Mother starts to see her values conflicting with those of her husband, Mother’s Younger Brother (Jon Bee) looks for a purpose in life, Coalhouse is bullied and harassed by the local fire chief (also Lavazzi) and his cronies who don’t like the idea of a black man with a fancy new car spending so much time in New Rochelle, and Tateh’s efforts to provide for his daughter take him from the streets of New York to Boston and beyond. Hopes and dreams are confronted with harsh reality, cruelty, and injustice, and life changes significantly for everyone involved.

This isn’t an easy story to describe without taking too much time and spoiling too much, but all the plots are woven together expertly, and the tension builds throughout the first act and explodes in the second. This is an intensely challenging, moving, and thought-provoking work, and SDT has staged it as well as I could imagine. The singing is first-rate, from the leads to the large and impressive ensemble. From the very first moment of the show, the ensemble and the music set the mood, along with the excellent band led by music director Jennifer Buchheit. The music is a mixture of traditional Broadway and turn of the 20th Century styles including, as is to be expected from the title of the play, a major ragtime influence.  The time and place are evoked well through means of David Blake’s expansive, multi-level set with platforms, staircases, and the look of steel-beam construction from the era. There are also meticulously detailed period costumes by Eileen Engel, and dramatic lighting by Tyler Duenow that helps transport the audience to this specific era and place in history. The only small issue I have with this production is that Coalhouse and Sarah’s baby (played by a doll) never actually ages despite the fact that several years go by in the course of the story.

The cast here is simply remarkable, with not a weak link among them. Everyone is ideally cast, and the character relationships are well-established and believable, with excellent chemistry in the ensemble and among the leads. Jones and Addams especially display a strong connection as Coalhouse and Sarah, with powerful voices as well. Their hopeful duet “Wheels of a Dream” in Act 1 is a particular highlight. Jones is also especially adept at portraying Coalhouse’s journey throughout the story, as the character goes through a great deal of profound changes. Also strong are Kay Love, in a thoughtful, reflective and beautifully sung turn as Mother; Wright, determined and engaging as Tateh; and Bee as a particularly earnest and determined Younger Brother. There are also some memorable performances from Lavazzi in two distinct roles–the jaded Grandpa and the bigoted, bullying fire chief–as well as Bubash as the perky singer and actress Evelyn Nesbit, who is the center of a national scandal; Kyro as the insistent activist Emma Goldman; and young Webb and Smith as the Little Boy and the Little Girl. Everyone is excellent, though. If I named all the strong performances, I would be listing the whole cast, because everyone is just that good. This is a show that demands a lot from its cast in terms of vocals, acting, and overall energy, and this cast delivers all that and more, from the very first note to the stirring Act 1 finale “Till We Reach That Day” to the Epilogue that ends the show.

I’m fairly sure this is the biggest show Stray Dog has ever done, and it’s simply stunning. The pacing is just right as well, not too rushed and not too slow. The moments of emotional resonance are given just the right amount of time, and all the players work together with precision and strength. It’s a profoundly moving portrait of a pivotal time in American history, but it also has a lot to say for today’s times as well. This is a truly brilliant production.

Kay Love, Evan Addams
Photo by John Lamb
Stray Dog Theatre

Stray Dog Theatre is presenting Ragtime at the Tower Grove Abbey until August 19, 2017.

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