by Tim Leininger

(Caissie Levy_Photo by Matthew Murphy)

            In 1998 Broadway received one of the greatest gifts in its storied history in the name of Ragtime. The epic musical, with book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, adapted from the novel by E.L. Doctorow, 27 years later, may be even more important today than when it first premiered, as racial discrimination and prejudice against immigrants are dominating headlines every day. This new production, the musical’s third on Broadway, opened tonight at the Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont, directed by Lear DeBessonet, choreographed by Ellenore Scott, and running through Jan. 4.

            There may never be anything like the original production, which I saw back in 1998, but seeing this production, I am still brought to tears (over a dozen times — I lost count) from the monumental opening number (“Ragtime”) to Joshua Henry’s inspiring performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in his 11 o’clock anthem “Make Them Hear You.” The Ahrens/Flaherty songwriting for Ragtime is the best of their collaborative career. Almost every song is an earworm, whether it be “Journey On,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Atlantic City,” or “Our Children,” every song can have you humming its melody after the show. The duet with Coalhouse and Sarah (Nichelle Lewis), “Wheels of a Dream” and Coalhouse’s “Make Them Hear You” had the audience on their feet the night I was in attendance.

            The musical, set at the beginning of the 20^th century, primarily follows three key characters, Coalhouse, Mother (Caissie Levy), and Tateh (Brandon Uranowitz). Each from different cultures, societal statuses, and backgrounds. Coalhouse is an educated Harlem-based pianist who longs to be reunited with his love, Sarah, who has given birth to their illegitimate son, of whom Coalhouse has no knowledge. With no options or prospects, Sarah buries her child alive in the New Rochelle garden of Mother, who rescues the child and takes Sarah in to care for them both while her husband, Father (Colin Donnell), is off on a year long expedition with Admiral Robert Peary to the North Pole. Meanwhile, Tateh arrives in the United States at Ellis Island with his daughter, credited as The Little Girl (Tabitha Lawing), with big dreams of making a success as a silhouette artist.

(Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz Photo by Matthew Murphy)

            For three hours we journey with them as tragedy, politics, social injustice, and intimate moments of love and compassion come in and out of their lives, irreversibly changing how each of them sees themselves, each other, and the world around them. The ability of Ahrens, Flaherty and McNally to balance all three plots without losing one for too long is some of the best writing in Broadway history, keeping them intertwined with each other as well as utilizing supporting characters like Mother’s Younger Brother (Ben Levi Ross) and Emma Goldman (Shaina Taub) to keep them connected.

            Henry’s Coalhouse is vocally mammoth, and while his sense of passion in his performance is present and palpable, I would have liked to have seen his rage in Act 2 be a bit more visceral, as he starts exacting his revenge on the bigotry around him.

Levy gives the subtlest performance, as her performance of Mother is tempered with upper class propriety, yet when she chastises Father for his bigotry, it cuts with a sharpness of diamond on glass, and her performance of the feminist anthem “Back to Before” builds with slow realization of strength and individualism.

            My favorite performance, though, is Uranowitz, who lights a fire of passion in the belly of Tateh like I’ve never seen. It’s the first performance of the role where I felt true disdain for how he is treated in the United States and get the sense of him questioning if he made the right decision to come here. He also colors the lighter moments, like his interactions with Mother, with whimsy and charm. It’s a bravura performance that I hope doesn’t get overlooked come awards season.

(Nichelle Lewis, Joshua Henry Photo by Matthew Murphy)

            The supporting cast do a great job as well. Taub has Goldman’s spirit but comes off a bit soft of heart compared to the more impassioned performances I’ve seen. Levi Ross is fantastic as Mother’s Younger Brother, never overacting his discontentment with the structure of social disparity, instead reminding us that he is intelligent, but also impulsive and lacking direction. Lewis’ performance as Sarah may be the most divisive of the show. Her Sarah is a broken soul, who is plagued with the guilt of attempted murder of her own child. Her hunched over posture throughout, with a look of eternal pain in her eyes is haunting. But, I would have liked to have seen a bigger transformation in her, though, once she and Coalhouse start to reconcile. It would have made the first act finale have a little more impact as she pleads for justice for Coalhouse, whose car has been vandalized by racists.

            The Vivian Beaumont is a huge stage and DeBessonet uses all of it, which is great. She, along with scenic designer David Korins layers backdrops of fabric that are tonally colored by Adam Honore’s lighting. The projections by 59 Studio add to the depth, especially the perfectly framed Statue of Liberty that seems to signify how far away true liberty is for most of the characters in the show. The set elements don’t have the same grandiose scale of Eugene Lee’s original, but for the most part, the set plays its role clearly, just a bit more reserved than what people may be used to from previous productions. I’m not terribly disappointed by this, as the musical — to metaphorically put it — doesn’t need a falling chandelier or a barricade to work. A workup of a Model T is all it needs.

(The cast of RAGTIME Photo by Matthew Murphy)

            Ragtime is a masterstroke of musical theater. It has one of the greatest scores ever written with one of the most detailed stories, focusing on the history of our past so we can reflect on who we are now. There are only two musicals that I feel have since reached such heights of storytelling since with Hamilton and Come From Away. All three are hallmarks of what musical theater can be. Inspiring, challenging, but most importantly a raw honest picture of the human condition. Ragtime is the standard bearer of modern musical theater that all who follow aspire to be. This production is led by some amazing performances and a pared back production. However you feel about the details, it doesn’t change that this is and will be for the foreseeable future, one of, if not the most important musical of the past 50 years, and needs to be seen by everyone.

RAGTIME

TICKETS: https://www.lct.org/

PRODUCTION

Book: Terrence McNally

Music: Stephen Flaherty

Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens

Directed by Lear DeBessonet

Choreography: Ellenore Scott

Music Direction: James Moore

Scenic Design: David Korins

Costume Design: Linda Cho

Lighting Design: Adam Honore

Sound Design: Kai Harada

Projection Design: 59 Studio

Hair & Wig Design: Tom Watson

Sensitivity Specialist: Ann James

Orchestrations: William David Brohn

Vocal Arrangements: Stephen Flaherty

Creative Consultant: Christopher Gattelli

Production Stage Manager: Cody Renard Richard

Advertising: AKA

Casting: The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA

Public Relations: DKC/O&M

Production Manager: Paul Smithyman

General Manager: Nathan Gehan

Company Manager: Matthew Markoff

Chief Marketing Officer: Robert Bones

CAST

Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker, Jr.

Caissie Levy as Mother

Brandon Uranowitz as Tateh

Colin Donnell as Father

Nichelle Lewis as Sarah

Ben Levi Ross as Mother’s Younger Brother

Shaina Taub as Emma Goldman

Anna Grace Barlow as Evelin Nesbit

John Clay III as Booker T. Washington

Rodd Cyrus as Harry Houdini

Nick Barrington as The Little Boy

Tabitha Lawing as The Little Girl

Kaleb Johnson, Kane Emmanuel Miller as Coalhouse Walker III (at certain performances)

Tom Leis as Grandfather

Allison Blackwell as Sarah’s Friend

Jason Forback as Henry Ford

Jacob Keith Watson as Willie Conklin, Harry K. Thaw

John Rapson as J.P. Morgan, Admiral Peary

Briana Carlson-Goodman as Brigit

Ellie Fishman as Kathleen

Billy Cohen as Stanford White, Charles S. Whitman

Alan Wiggins as Matthew Henson

Nicholas Barron as Baron’s Assistant

Ensemble: Nicholas Barron, Lauren Blackman, Allison Blackwell, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Jordan Chin, Billly Cohen, Rheaume Crenshaw, Ellie Fishman, Jason Forbach, Ta’nika Gibson, David Jennings, Marina Kondo, Morgan Marcell, Deandre Sevon, Jacob Keith Watson, Alan Wiggins