The Lincoln Center Theatre Mgt. has mounted a new production of the musical RAGTIME to replace the recent ones that first attracted us 30 years ago. Lear deBessonet is the organization’s first Artistic Director, and her first production is completely adapted version which she directed and opened on October 16 at the 1,050 seat Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center. It first played a brief run in 2024 at City Center with many of the principals who are playing it now at the Beaumont. It still tells the tale of three groups of people whose lives intertwine at the turn of the 20th century.There’s a wealthy white family, a Jewish immigrant, and a black jazz musician with their families and loved ones. They all commingle with a stunning ensemble of 28 singers and dancers who explode all over the stage in many musical numbers from Stephen Flaherty’s and Lynn Ahrens’ score and Terrence McNally’s book. All these elements have the novel “Ragtime” by E.L Doctorow as source. Imagine if you can what unity of vision it took to fuse all this material into one cohesive musical, but that’s what they’ve done. It all begins with a prologue that announces what’s to come with adventure in every note, thanks to James Moore’s musical direction. At my preview matinee it was greeted with a roar of approval.
I question one choice of the authors and Ms. deBessonet. the first act runs over an hour and a half, and the second act is even longer. A song called “The Wheels Of A Dream”, as sung by Joshua Henry and Nichelle Lewis, is so powerful that it insists it end the first act as its last note is sent flying over the orchestra and the audience.
It becomes impossible to re-engage a moment later when socialist Emma Goldman tries to tell us of the night she spoke to a crowd in Union Square. Though Shaina Taub’s powerful voice belted its message she could not erase the impact of the previous song or its performance by co-star Joshua Henry. She made a valiant effort, but she was stuck in an actor’s nightmare. “Never immediately follow a showstopper”.
For the rest of the show, I think the authors have done a good job of controlling the complex story of a great many people, some wealthy and white, some black families who have been isolated and left behind in their search for equal opportunity and justice, some seeking assimilation into the American Dream. I think this musical still needs pruning,
But it remains timely and necessary. Ragtime began after the Civil War in the early 20th century around 1911, got us through the 1920s, the depression, the jazz age, the 1940s and WWII, right up until now when all is divisive and people are tending to stick with “their own kind”, which in my opinion is not right.We can and should learn from each other. I have wandered from my review, and I won’t again. It interests me though that writing a review for a new musical should lead me down the road that propels me here. To conclude what I began, I highly recommend this musical called RAGTIME. I didn’t expect to because I’ve found that most of the new ones seem to have abandoned melody and mirth in favor of the new and the now. If any of you out there have nostalgia for the musicals of the 1930s-80s, come listen to the lullaby of Broadway and see how nicely it can live harmoniously alongside the current Ragtime.