‘Ragtime’ is big-time
Trinity Rep puts together A fivestar production of the famed musical.
PROVIDENCE – “Ragtime,” the musical, comes with a pedigree.
E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel, on which it is based, is a best seller described in the New Yorker magazine as “an extraordinarily deft, lyrical, rich novel.” Then the 1998 musical earned Tony Awards for Best Book, by Terrence McNally, and Best Original Score, for tuneful music by Stephen Flaherty and intelligent lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.
Now Trinity Rep is putting its signature on the material in a sweeping and heartfelt production that has a fascinating look, gorgeous sound and timely message. It’s a five-star production.
McNally reconfigured Doctorow’s meaty novel into musical-theater format while keeping the deft, lyrical and rich parts intact. Director Curt Columbus, Trinity’s artistic director, picks up from there, honing in on telling the characters’ stories with understanding and bringing out themes that resonate today.
There are a lot of characters, some fictional and other historical, whose paths cross. The former include a white family living a comfortable life in New Rochelle, N.Y., identified only as Father, Mother, Boy and Younger Brother; an African American musician from Harlem named Coalhouse Walker Jr., a gifted practitioner of a new style of music called ragtime; and a Latvian immigrant, Tateh, seeking a better life for himself and his young daughter.
The New Rochelle family’s life is disrupted when Mother finds a black infant buried among the geraniums in her garden. Father is away, so she is on her own in making the decision to take the baby into her home, a choice that sets the rest of the play in motion.
As the tales of these fictional characters unfold, a number of real-life famous people play tangential and often humorous roles, including Harry Houdini, an immigrant himself; the radical Emma Goldman; magnates Henry Ford and J.P. Mor- gan; and the entertainer Evelyn Nesbit, self-described in a song as “the girl on the swing.”
The play begins with optimism about America and its future, but these characters are buffeted by the economic and social changes that came at the start of the 20th century, and their stories take on issues that still make headlines: immigration; workers’ rights; women’s rights, as Mother discovers she likes making decisions; and racism, experienced with tragic consequences by Coalhouse.
Columbus keeps the mix of humor and gravity in perfect musical-theater balance and stages the show in theatrical and entertaining ways. Sometimes he spreads the ac- tion into the audience; other times he draws everyone in to a spotlight on stage. He turns his actors loose on the funny bits, like Houdini performing an escape, but doesn’t diminish disturbing moments, including a racist’s confrontation with Coalhouse that is like a punch to the gut.
Eugene Lee, Trinity’s resident and widely celebrated set designer, gives the director an inventive space on which to work. More representational than literal, Lee’s set is comprised of tables and chairs that the cast moves around to suggest a home, a labor hall and even a Model-T, created by putting chairs side by side atop a table. A tall, twisting stairway at the back anchors the set and serves multiple purposes, from a platform for Emma Goldman’s exhortations to the attic of the New Rochelle house.
The lynchpin is the music, under the direction of Michael Rice who plays keyboard and leads a fabulous, six-piece ensemble through the score worth a listen on its own.
Trinity’s resident vocalists turn out in important roles, among them Rachael Warren, who is in beautiful control of her voice and the emotion in Mother’s songs; Charlie Thurston, who sings earnestly about Tateh’s hopes and dreams; and Rebecca Gibel who is so much the showgirl on the swing.
As Coalhouse Walker Jr., Wilkie Ferguson III, last seen at Trinity in 2003, is the triple threat; he sings with a rich baritone, plays ragtime piano and acts convincingly.
The ensemble numbers are the show stoppers – particularly when performed with Sharon Jenkins’ exuberant choreography.
“Ragtime” comes with a meaningful story, melodic score and thoughtful lyrics. Then Trinity puts these elements in the hands of accomplished directors, designers and actor/vocalists for a theater experience that’s one to remember.
Performances of “Ragtime” continue through May 27 at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St. Tickets start at $25 and are available at the box office in the theater, by calling 401-351-4242 or online at TrinityRep.com.