Playwright: Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), from E. L. Doctorow's novel
At.: Light Opera Works, Cahn Auditorim
Phone: (847) 869-6300; $26-$56
Runs through: June 15 only
Vast and complex both musically and dramatically, Ragtime intertwines the lives of Americans black and white, Protestant and
Jewish, native-born and immigrant as the United States emerged as a world power early last century, a nation of social and political
promise unfulfilled. It's driving premise—a rallying cry for civil rights—is simple: justice delayed is justice denied.
Freely blending historical personages—Henry Ford, Houdini, Emma Goldman—and imagined ones, and fact with uncanny
fictional coincidence, Ragtime creates a piquant collage of clashing visions of America, sung and danced to the syncopations of
waltzes, marches, two-steps and that lilting and sensuous new music, ragtime. Black man Coalhouse Walker, Jr., seeker of justice,
and white woman, Mother, seeker of her own identity, emerge as the heroes; but the journey of Father is no less poignant, physically
courageous but without comprehension.
A future producer may do Ragtime with 14 people rather than 40, but for now, bigger is better and Light Opera Works (LOW) goes
big in collaboration with the Chicago Theatre Company. A few things don't work, but most things do in this swirling, ambitious
production that unleashes most of this monster show's musical and emotional power.
Alexander Frey sustains LOW's high musical repute conducting a 32-piece orchestra (full string section, terrific woodwinds) and
the large cast. At first a bit tentative on opening night, the company picked up musical confidence quickly. Principals Byron Glenn
Willis (Coalhouse) and Richard Marlett (immigrant Tateh) lose some musical passages in their weaker lower registers, but their upper
registers passionately soar (especially Marlett). Susan Allison Miller (Mother) and Kearstin Piper Brown (Coalhouse's love, Sarah),
Marlene Flood (Goldman) and Meg Miller (Evelyn Nesbit) act and sing with beauty and style. Nicholas Foster (Younger Brother),
Anthony E. Barton (Father) and John Steven Crowley (Booker T. Washington) add manly power.
The Great Leap Forward for LOW is choreography, movement, look and general staging complexity. Ex-Broadway star Lara
Teeter, hired as artistic director in 1999, succeeds in bringing sophistication to LOW, using relatively simple moves to make the
disciplined ensemble look like veteran hoofers. Teeter's a terrific traffic cop handling the huge cast on the shallow stage. They nimbly
weave across the five platforms of Michael Lasswell's scenic design that provides a sense of motion despite Cahn Auditorium's low-
tech stage equipment. Pamela Brailey's varied, period-accurate costumes offer glowing visual appeal, from a Commodore's uniform
to a show girl's tights, automobile dusters to summer dresses. Andrew H. Meyers' lighting enhances all yet rarely is obvious about it.
Sound design is the only dodgy technology, employing contact mikes fixed to the stage rather than body mikes. The effectiveness
varies depending on the proximity of the performers. Clearly, Teeter wants voices and orchestra to sound as natural as possible,
although body mikes would eliminate low register problems.
Light Opera Works and Chicago Theatre Company take giant strides with Ragtime, a grand musical with a graceful, stirring score.
If you liked it Downtown, take another look in Evanston.