[yasr_overall_rating]
Great audio is everything! So much so, this production was greatly impacted by the constant stress of keeping up with the storyline which was initially a guessing game due to the fragments of speech and song that plagued the actors through most of the first half. The story of an upperclass white woman, a Jewish immigrant and a young, African-American Harlem musician, which is based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 best selling novel “Ragtime,” left a lot to be desired as it crept through endless setbacks of its main characters, both personal and social, that almost turned “Ragtime” into nap time while traipsing through some very important historical facts that in and of themselves were interesting. The three main characters, Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Chris Sams), Kate Turner (Mother) and Matthew Curiano (Tateh), worked vigilantly within their inner circles in order to defy the blatant racism that for different reasons kept them far from experiencing the American dream they had imagined.
With the world changing right before their very eyes at the turn of the century in New York, there was a constant struggle for Coal to find anyone to trust while also carrying the guilt of not being able to show the mother of his child the love he had inside, coupled with the desire to make things better for his child and the world they lived in. Matthew had the constant task of finding a way to provide food and shelter for his daughter, while competing with an unsympathetic community that never understood his worth or the value of the unique talent he had. Kate had a triple dose of criticism while competing with her husband over the care of an outsider’s bastard child, the raising of their son and the racist community which didn’t agree with how or with whom they lived.
With the telling of this story, there were some timelines wherein the racial tension and problematic attitudes that were of the times in which the story was written, were seemingly harsh reminders of the ever-present disparities that still plague society today. Director & Choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge did a magnificent job of bringing this timeless piece of material to the forefront with the collaboration of outstanding scene design, ravishing costumes and a well-selected cast of characters that served their roles well. The showcasing of local child actors James Hays and Anthony Taylor, gave a nice hometown feel to this widely recognized and Tony Award winning Broadway revival. By the second half, this production had proved itself to be well on its way to overcoming any obstacles that would discourage this experience from becoming a sought after night of entertainment that is worthy of the price of admission. The vocal powerhouses that gave rousing musical renditions made it even greater as you could finally hear their melodious voices!
Now playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park thru June 5th
