What’s abbreviated in Asolo Rep’s production of Ragtime? Not the plot, music, or lyrics from the original Broadway production, but rather the number of the cast and the orchestra. Both may be smaller but they’re greatly talented. They pull off an undeniable tour de force. As fans of “Ragtime” the book, the film, and the original staging know, the musical involves three segments of American society in the early 19th century. It traces the progress of their worlds and their intersection along with that of representative celebrities. Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington, Evelyn Nesbit, Henry Houdini, J. P. Morgan, and Emma Goldman stand out as such. A middle-class WASP family, segment one, immediately begins to unravel as Father (Bret Shuford playing the authoritative Boss—and later J. P. Morgan) departs New York to join Perry at the North Pole for a year. That leaves Mother (Britta Ollmann, kind, considerate, bright) and her son (William Garrabrant, authentic as a young male version of his Mother) to care for Grandfather and take in pregnant Black woman Sarah (genuine, likeable Danyel Fulton). Sarah brings Mother into the second segment of the drama’s society: African Americans like her lover, pianist and composer Coalhouse Walker Jr. (a vibrant Jared Joseph). They don’t share in The American Dream but dream of doing so, especially after their son is born. Coalhouse also plays and touts the ragtime music that’s a major transition from other styles of the time, represented in this musical, to the great form-- jazz. The third featured societal segment is represented by talented Sasha Andreev’s Tateh, dually a Jew and Immigrant from Eastern Europe. He struggles to care for his motherless child (Gigi Spagnolo, silently expressive). Although he will work at anything that pays, he tries always to sell his silhouettes. When he eventually uses them in a “moving” book, he’s on his way to movies. Mother will find in him a refuge, and one that will include Coalhouse’s legacy. Director Peter Rothstein beautifully brings together both the spirited as well as plot-involved choreography of Kelli Foster Warder and the scenic demands on designer Michael Hoover. The basic set is a wall with doorways opening into it mid-height and it uses large moving stairways topped by platforms. Both wall and stairs are recycled from Asolo Rep’s season opener Evita, where the backgound was often gloomy. Here there is redemptive lighting from Duane Schuler, once stunningly used to back silhouetted players. This also calls attention to Tateh’s artistry in the drama. Asolo Rep’s achievement with actors doubling and fast-moving and even swinging out into the procenium and yet being distinctly heard either speaking or singing is due to another collaboration—among Director Rothstein, sound designer Justin Stasiw, and the actors. But just simple duets, like Sarah and Coalhouse’s “Wheels of a Dream” or Mother and Tateh’s “Our Children” defy audiences not to wildly applaud. Music Director and conductor Steve Orich deserves much credit for and with his relatively small ensemble of instrumentalists achieving much. They are especially to be praised for keeping a few of the needless repetitions from being off-putting. Trevor Brown has assembled a rich array of costumes. Michelle Hart has been up to her usual high standards creating a wide variety of hair styles and make-up. Everything adds up to a production that compares well with previous hit ones.
