RAGTIME

My thoughts on Ragtime or…Warn the Duke! (to get tickets now)

Seeing the original cast of Ragtime is a Broadway memory I treasure. Hearing those performers sing those wonderful Ahrens and Flaherty songs for the first time on those opulent sets was nothing short of breathtaking.

When I heard Lewisville Playhouse was producing the musical, I was skeptical that this epic story of intersecting lives in turn of the century America could be achieved on one of DFW’s smaller stages. Thanks to inventive staging from Director Wendi Bronzek , awesome sound from Margaret Miller and the orchestra, and Choreographer Quintin Jones’ keen adeptness at using movement in restricted space, this is a most worthy Ragtime.

There’s no opulence here, but Scenic Designer Sydney Aviles manages to define spaces very well on the two-level set with the American flag featured prominently in the background. Turning an upright piano into a Model T and a casket is a touch of genius from Director Bronzek. Wendy Barrett has some very nice character and era appropriate costumes, especially for the upper-class ladies. Ben Loub provides the lighting design and Cat Luster designed the sound.

But the true reason this Ragtime is so successful is the cast whose collective voices raise goosebumps again and again. The cast is large and beyond talented. There are no weak links here and everyone is worthy of a mention. Unfortunately, time and space are limited but I do want to recognize some outstanding individuals.

Caleb Santos is a magical, death-defying Harry Houdini. Tyler Perring is a commanding Henry Ford and the man you want to punch as the racist Willie Conklin. Lorenzo Gapud scores as Admiral Peary and is a standout in the ensemble. Whitney Bohannon brings touching pathos and beautiful voice to Sarah’s friend. Greg Oliphant, blessed with a great musical theater voice, is Matthew Henson and another ensemble standout. Cody Thomas is appropriately gruff and curmudgeonly as Grandfather.

Jaquailyn Martin makes a young, but effective Booker T. Washington with his resonant voice and sincere demeanor. Emmalyn Gladney Miron is terrific as the sexy, vivacious vaudeville star caught up in a scandal, Evelyn Nesbit.

Matthew Lovelace displays some excellent skills portraying Father, a man whose world is changing around him while he tries to hold on to the status quo.

Kelly Hudson is masterful as the articulate, passionate about the welfare of workers, Emma Goldman. Hudson has a striking stage presence and can deliver a line or lyric with such conviction that she truly became Goldman.

I was greatly impressed by Peter Dunne as Younger Brother. Younger Brother is a character whose obsessions change throughout the musical and Dunne brings all the youthful energy to Younger Brother. There is an honesty and desperation to the character that Dunne captures brilliantly. To watch Hudson and Dunne on stage at the same time was mesmerizing.

Nolan Shaver’s Tateh is another fine performance in the show. Shaver is the very embodiment of the Jewish immigrant who will do anything for his young daughter. Shaver has a spot on Eastern European accent and projects great warmth and tenderness as the character.

The complex role of Mother is played byJennifer Brown. Brown is a first-rate actor and portrays the empathetic upper-class woman perfectly. Her Mother is kind and genteel but has the strength to change with the times and to defy convention. Mother also gets the superb power ballad “Back to Before” which Brown delivers with stirring conviction.

Micaela Workman is a force as the tragic Sarah. Workman brings her all to the strong-willed character and that amazing soprano can take you from misty eyes in “Your Daddy’s Son” to chills in “Wheels of a Dream.” Workman’s acting is as fine as her voice and watching Sarah transition from taciturn recluse to a passionate woman and mother in love is one of the pleasures of this Ragtime.

Christian Black. I’ve been waiting for years to see the phenomenal Christian Black in a role worthy of his prodigious talents and Coalhouse Walker, Jr. is that role. Coalhouse is prideful, talented, kind, and gentle, but when faced with injustice, he explodes with stubborn rage and Black takes Coalhouse from subtle, humble charm to explosive anger with compelling skill. And that voice. Whether in the moving ballad “Wheels of a Dream” or in his thunderously electrifying “Let Them Hear You,” Black delivers all the feels. And when Black and Workman duet and those two incredible voices blend and soar, it’s musical theater heaven.

Also in the show are two young actors, Jack and Peyton Thomas. They are real life siblings who play the Little Boy and the Little Girl with poise and presence. And at the performance I attended the role of Coalhouse Walker III was played by the charmer Carter Black in his stage debut. Carter, following in the footsteps of his father Christian, completely stole the last scene of the musical.

Watching the Tony Awards this year, one message came through loud and clear from many of the winners. They all said that great things are happening in theaters all across this country whether they are community or professional. Lewisville Playhouse’s Ragtime is a prime example. In this small theater in a Dallas suburb, magic is happening. Powerful and poignant, this Ragtime is sublime.

Photos by Meredith Weldon Butterfield