The colorful, fast-paced and engaging Ragtime succeeds on every level at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. So it’s no wonder that this musical of many wonders has become the theater company’s best-selling musical of all time.
Rep artistic director Mark Clements has pulled out all the stops to make this show a stunner. From the first glimpse of the cast – a handful of white, upper-class folks dressed in shades of white – it’s clear that Ragtime is a budget-busting spectacular. As the meticulously spaced group sings and strolls, one has the chance to take in details of this turn-of-the-century scene: women’s white hats, parasols and white gloves are paired with men’s white, three-piece suits and snappy-looking brimmed hats.
This tight-knit monochromatic group is soon joined by a noisier, more colorful crowd of African-Americans from Harlem. They are well-dressed, too but wear shades of vintage ochre, plum and raspberry (the women) and suits ranging from browns to light gray (the men). Then a third group appears. They also move as a whole, though their tattered clothes and unkempt hair identifies them as poor immigrants.
In Stephen Mear’s kaleidoscopic choreography, the three groups move independently onstage. Then all at once they are merging, almost oblivious to each other’s existence. Occasionally, the groups take note of each other, but the bonds between the three groups remain strong. They regard each other warily. In this way, the essentials for understanding the three separate worlds of Ragtime are visually reinforced.
In this story’s twist of fate, a young white woman putters in her garden when she hears an infant crying. Amazed, she finds a baby, who is still alive. It is a black child, and the search begins for the baby’s mother. Once she is located, the white woman orders the police to release her to her custody. This scenario never would have happened had the father of this well-to-do household been home. Instead, he has joined an expedition to the North Pole. It will take a full year before he reaches his quest and returns.
One element of E.L. Doctorow’s book that has been retained in the musical is the cameos of the era’s celebrities. These include: the magician Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbitt (the Paris Hilton of her day), and the stocky labor figure Emma Goldman. Not to be outdone by mere entertainers, the musical also pays tribute to the business leaders behind the industrial era, such as Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan.
Mixing together the book’s “fictional” characters with well-known celebrities at the turn-of-the-century requires an experienced director, and thankfully, the Milwaukee Rep is fortunate to have such a person at its helm. When artistic director Mark Clements was hired four years ago, one of his first projects was to turn the complex’s main stage into a musical house. The theater was not constructed for this purpose. Undaunted, Clements pulled together an impressive cast for his first such show, Cabaret. Several musicals (and years) later, Clements can count Ragtime as a feather in his cap. Part of his success comes from reaching out to New York talent for many of the main roles. But he has also found a way to reconfigure the set, lights and music that musicals require.
In Ragtime, the cast of 36 actors is supported by nine musicians. Although the orchestra is hidden behind a screen for most of the production, the sound is exquisitely amplified throughout the theater. This is essential, as Ragtime is named for the music that flows through the production like an endless, lazy river. Kudos to music director/conductor Dan Kazemi, who makes each note of the original score soar and reverberate as intended. Sound designer John Tanner deserves credit as well for reinforcing the action with the pulse of a booming New York City.
As the show progresses, the two main characters who receive the most attention are black pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr. and Carmen Cusak as Mother, the woman who unknowingly takes Coalhouse’s girlfriend and child under her wing. Both actors have extensive Broadway chops, which is no surprise given their performances here. Gavin Gregory, as Coalhouse, uses his large physical shape and booming voice to command most of what happens in the musical’s second act. He is a man who remains unbowed despite the discrimination and indifference of “white folks.” In the magnetic “Wheels of a Dream,” Coalhouse and his girlfriend Sarah (the unforgettable Jessie Hooker) look to a new horizon that is farther away than they imagine.
Although Sarah does not survive a beating at the hands of police, she reappears onstage twice more as a ghostly figure. This adds poignancy to Coalhouse’s reminiscence of their first meeting, told in the sweet, upbeat tune, “Sarah Brown Eyes.” Hooker impresses as the sweetly shy Sarah who is also wise enough to know that her initial attraction to a pianist like Coalhouse may be more of a weakness than a smart choice. With the loss of Sarah, Coalhouse lets loose his rage. He goes on a killing and arson spree that end in a library built by J.P. Morgan.
Meanwhile, Mother continues to raise Coalhouse’s son, who is also names Coalhouse. Father’s reaction to “this bastard child” tears apart his relationship with Mother. In the lovely, wistful solo, “Back to Before,” Mother realizes she has now become a liberated woman without the blinders that male domination had created. As she sings, one notices a few stray tendrils of curls have fallen from her tidily kept hairdo.
Above all, Ragtime tells the story of America’s growth in the days shortly before World War I. Although the immigrant story receives somewhat less attention than some of the other ones, it is neatly encapsulated by a Jewish artist named Tateh (Josh Landay) and his young daughter, played at alternating performances by Georgina Pink and Mallory Wallace. The penniless Tateh comes to America with bright hopes and dreams. Sadly, these are quickly reduced to the realities of life in the filthy tenements in which they are forced to live. Tateh’s sole concern is for the welfare of his child. His heart aches when he cannot afford to take his sick daughter to a doctor.
When fortune smiles on Tateh in Act II, he admits to dressing his daughter like a princess to erase her memories of the years of hardship they faced when first landing on American shores. He shares these thoughts with Mother after they meet in Atlantic City. It is a second introduction, actually, although neither realizes it at the time. Landay makes Tateh an incredibly sympathetic character, which is even more so when he becomes a film director in Act II. His comical struggles with temperamental actors offset darker scenes to come later.
All the gorgeous costumes, seamless choreography and a uniformly talented cast make Ragtime one of the most memorable theater experiences this season. The action is played out on a heavy-looking, massive set consisting of swinging staircases and platforms. The scene often takes on the appearance of a train station – as if to note that the country is, indeed, going places.
In addition to the harmonious orchestra music and the cacophony emanating from a bustling city, lighting also plays a key element to Ragtime’s success. Spotlights keep a tight focus on the main characters, drawing our attention even as dozens of other actors may be looking on. Mark Clements, too, keeps a tight focus on all the elements which make Ragtime such a remarkable experience.
