Ragtime

 

It seems shameful to admit it, but, although I live in midtown Manhattan I seldom go to live theater. Last fall, when my sister visited New York, it tried to get us seats for the revival of Ragtime, but it was (unsurprisingly) all sold out. As the show's run is sadly drawing to its close, however, I unexpectedly was gifted tickets as a belated birthday present from a very generous friend.

Ragtime is an almost three-hour musical based on a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. Set in the early twentieth century, Ragtime tells the story of three different American groups: African Americans, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; upper-class suburbanites, represented by Mother, the matriarch of a white upper-class New Rochelle family; and recent immigrants from Eastern Europe, represented by Tateh, a Latvian Jewish immigrant. The three groups' stories intersect in surprising - and tragic - ways. The show also features historical figures from the era, such as Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, and Emma Goldman, with briefer appearances by J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Stanford White, and Admiral Perry,. The production was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, winning four including Best Revival of a Musical. This revival is scheduled to run through August. So this was my rare chance to see it!

As I acknowledged above, despite living in this great city I seldom take advantage of its theatrical and musical opportunities. I cannot compare Ragtime with other musicals I have not seen, nor can I compare this revival with other previous productions. I can, however, testify that it is a great show, music is fantastic, and anyone who can should try to see it too!

Ragtime offers a certain snapshot of Pre-World War I America, a time of tremendous social change, America as a land of opportunity, which is also dominated by inequality and injustice. The story takes a truly tragic turn, but - like the story of America itself - it ends on a powerful note of hope and the potential for inter-racial, inter-ethnic national unity. Our present national predicament on the eve of our country's 250th birthday makes Ragtime, if anything, even more timely.