In a time when America is uncertain, teetering on change, watching as the American Dream is called into question by middle-class citizens, it’s comforting to be reminded that this country has always been that way. And that there’s always been glimmers of opportunity, hope, and the freedom to dream.
In Ragtime, the characters struggle with the mythology of the American Dream, national identity, and the future of the American family.
The music itself is a representation of the life and times of the early 1900s. The term “ragtime” refers to a specific, syncopated musical style that originated in the 1890s and reached its height of popularity between 1899 and 1918.
“The story, Ragtime, like the musical form, is full of surprises—unexpected rhythms, unexpected sensibilities, and unexpected connections,” said director Mark Booher.
Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, the play blends three American fictional families with various historical figures between 1902 and 1917. Father, a businessman and explorer, and Mother, his discontented wife, live their life unaware of the human struggle around them. Colehouse Walker, Jr., a Harlem musician, and his love, Sarah, struggle as African-Americans trying to realize their own American Dream as they face bigotry and hatred. Tateh and his daughter, both Russian Jewish immigrants, face their own struggles as they try to carve out an existence, and question if all the hope and promise that America stands for is a cruel hoax.
The three families’ lives inevitably intertwine to a point from which they can never disentangle.
Booher presents a powerful representation of this story with an awe-inspiring ensemble that brings to life all of the economic, social, and value changes that the early century held for America.
The awareness of these changes is sparked in large part by Mother, played by Elizabeth Stuart, whose dissatisfaction with her safe life causes her to see the world around her in a different light and to find compassion for people not as fortunate as herself.
Stuart manages to portray Mother as a woman who’s a victim, but at the same time the strongest character of them all. Mother’s compassionate actions set the lives of three families spinning when she finds an abandoned negro newborn. She takes the baby and mother into her home and, by doing so, invites chaos and upheaval, the likes of which her family has never seen. But as Mother questions her own actions, she also questions what kind of woman she would be if she had just turned away.
Andrew Philpot (The Real Thing, Othello, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast) gave an outstanding performance, as usual. He captures the hope and spirit of the immigrant Tateh and delivers it with life.
David St. Louis gave a powerful performance as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., bringing forth the pain felt by a young, educated African-American whose dreams for his family are shattered by a spate of bigotry and injustice.
The creative forces for the musical were Terrence McNally as book writer, Lynn Ahrens as lyricist, and Stephen Flaherty as composer.
One of America’s leading playwrights, McNally has won four Tonys, two Guggenheim Fellowships, Rockefeller Grants, and has more than 20 plays to his credit. He’s most noted for his collaboration with John Kander and Fred Ebb on Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993) and his study of Maria Callas in Master Class (1995).
Flaherty, musically accomplished from an early age, completed his first full musical score when he was 14. He has worked almost consistently in collaboration with lyricist Ahrens, creating works such as Once Upon This Island (1990), Seussical (2000), A Man of No Importance (2002), and The Glorious Ones (2007), as well as the score for animated films, such as Anastasia (1997).
Ahrens began her career in advertising for an agency whose projects included Schoolhouse Rock and Captain Kangaroo. Because she often played her guitar at her lunch hour, she was asked if she wanted to write music for the shows. She later teamed up with Flaherty, and the pair made their off-Broadway debut with Lucky Stiff in 1988.
PCPA’s rendition of Ragtime is spectacular in its delivery of full-ensemble musical numbers that at times move the soul and alternately set feet to tapping. It’s exciting in its portrayal of a young America, with all of its hope and promise. And it’s achingly accurate in recounting the growing pains the country faced at the time.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone likes maple leaves. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 24-31, 2008.