RagtimeBook by Terrence McNally
Music by Stephen Flaherty // Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
When: Saturday, January 9, 2010; 2pm
Where: Neil Simon Theater
What: Musical, Professional Theater, Broadway
My piano teacher introduced me to the music from this production in 1998 and I thought it had a really rich sound. Right from the get-go, I enjoyed playing the tunes and wanted to see it on Broadway. Well, it didn't happen back then. However, now that I've realized that NYC is only a short two-hour trip away, it was time to head up and see the revival of this musical. Unfortunately, this was the show's second to last day (it's closing already after a little under two months on Broadway) so it's not as if anyone can read this and go and see it. Nevertheless, should another revival of this hit the Great White Way (I don't get that nickname for Broadway), don't miss it. This is one heckuva moving production with some brilliant music.
Based off of the book by E.L. Doctorow that was on many "best of the century" lists back in 2000 (if I remember correctly), Ragtime weaves the tale of three very different families in 1904 New York -- we meet a prim and proper white family living in New Rochelle, NY, headed by Father and Mother; an immigrant father, Tateh, and his daughter traveling to NYC from Latvia; and a black couple from Harlem, ragtime piano player Coalhouse Walker, Jr., and his girlfriend Sarah. These three very distinct groups will intertwine in ways both good and bad, leading to a heartbreaking, yet inspiring conclusion that shows how far America has come as a country and how far we've yet to go.
The music here is what makes this thing shine. We get everything from ragtime to ballads to gospel, and while not every song is memorable, they all fit perfectly. I made a playlist on my iPod and noted that the songs for the production totaled 125 minutes. Considering that the play was only 2 hours, 25 minutes long, you can see that the music plays an integral part in the production.
Apparently, the original production of this musical was quite lavish and essentially bankrupted the producers. In this revival, the set is as bare as could be. We're treated to a three story iron structure that becomes an imaginary house in New Rochelle, a bar in Harlem, a boat sailing to the North Pole -- and through it all, the barrenness works, allowing us to focus on the story and the music, sparing us the spectacle. Fortunately, with such a great tale to tell and terrific music, we don't miss any of the frills.
Despite the lack of a set, the production didn't scrimp on the period costumes. Nor did they cut the cast (which was forty performers strong, all of whom were top notch...really too good to pick out my favorites) or the orchestra (which was 28 pieces big). When the whole cast was onstage singing (as in the one-minute clip from the spectacular opening number posted below which also shows off the set), I got chills.
As I mentioned above, this was the final weekend of the show and I think the audience had quite a few of the cast's family members in it. There was quite a bit of crying at the show's conclusion and the audience was rapturous in its applause. In fact, this was the first show I've seen where the audience applauded for nearly thirty seconds before the cast even started to perform. As soon as the curtain lifted, the audience wouldn't stop clapping. You could see the cast trying to hide their smiles (and hold back their tears) and they all really put on a great show.
So, after a decade of wanting to see this be performed, I was quite happy to travel to the Neil Simon theater and check it out. I certainly wasn't the least bit disappointed. It's a shame this is closing because I can't recommend it highly enough.
Based off of the book by E.L. Doctorow that was on many "best of the century" lists back in 2000 (if I remember correctly), Ragtime weaves the tale of three very different families in 1904 New York -- we meet a prim and proper white family living in New Rochelle, NY, headed by Father and Mother; an immigrant father, Tateh, and his daughter traveling to NYC from Latvia; and a black couple from Harlem, ragtime piano player Coalhouse Walker, Jr., and his girlfriend Sarah. These three very distinct groups will intertwine in ways both good and bad, leading to a heartbreaking, yet inspiring conclusion that shows how far America has come as a country and how far we've yet to go.
The music here is what makes this thing shine. We get everything from ragtime to ballads to gospel, and while not every song is memorable, they all fit perfectly. I made a playlist on my iPod and noted that the songs for the production totaled 125 minutes. Considering that the play was only 2 hours, 25 minutes long, you can see that the music plays an integral part in the production.
Apparently, the original production of this musical was quite lavish and essentially bankrupted the producers. In this revival, the set is as bare as could be. We're treated to a three story iron structure that becomes an imaginary house in New Rochelle, a bar in Harlem, a boat sailing to the North Pole -- and through it all, the barrenness works, allowing us to focus on the story and the music, sparing us the spectacle. Fortunately, with such a great tale to tell and terrific music, we don't miss any of the frills.
Despite the lack of a set, the production didn't scrimp on the period costumes. Nor did they cut the cast (which was forty performers strong, all of whom were top notch...really too good to pick out my favorites) or the orchestra (which was 28 pieces big). When the whole cast was onstage singing (as in the one-minute clip from the spectacular opening number posted below which also shows off the set), I got chills.
As I mentioned above, this was the final weekend of the show and I think the audience had quite a few of the cast's family members in it. There was quite a bit of crying at the show's conclusion and the audience was rapturous in its applause. In fact, this was the first show I've seen where the audience applauded for nearly thirty seconds before the cast even started to perform. As soon as the curtain lifted, the audience wouldn't stop clapping. You could see the cast trying to hide their smiles (and hold back their tears) and they all really put on a great show.
So, after a decade of wanting to see this be performed, I was quite happy to travel to the Neil Simon theater and check it out. I certainly wasn't the least bit disappointed. It's a shame this is closing because I can't recommend it highly enough.
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