With a lush score by Stephen Flaherty and beautiful lyrics by Lynn Ahrens set against the backdrop of a compelling book by the illustrious Terrence McNally - based upon the eponymous 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow - Ragtime is one of the most stirring works for musical theater ever created. Now, in a superb concert mounting from Street Theater Company, featuring outstanding performances of some gifted artists, Nashville audiences once more are given the opportunity to revel in the awesome storytelling of the piece for one weekend only.
More to the point, Ragtime in Concert at Street Theatre Company is not to be missed. It is an awe-inspiring night of theater, staged with confidence and a practiced eye for what works visually by Cathy Street and Jane Kelley (who also conducts the 30-some member ensemble) and featuring the always significant contributions of music director Rollie Mains, this production obviously emphasizes the extraordinary musical score that, without danger of exaggeration, should be included in the pantheon of musical theater's greatest accomplishments. I defy you to hear the title tune, "New Music," and "Wheels of a Dream" (or any number of other songs from the score, to be honest) and not to find your heart soaring - they are finely crafted works of art.
Flaherty and Ahrens have created a score that evokes the play's time period - the play's action opens in 1906 - with a pastiche of musical styles that includes gospel, cakewalks, marches, showtunes and, of course, ragtime. As a result, it sounds very much "of the period," yet it somehow is very contemporary and "of the moment." Certainly, Flaherty and Ahrens walk a fine line here, showing reverence for the musical idioms that inspired their impressive collaborative effort, but they are able to inject a sense of relevance that makes Ragtime all the more appealing to audiences.
McNally's book for the musical takes some much-needed liberties with Doctorow's original source material, but he remains faithful to the tone of the novel and draws inspiration for the play's structure from it. He interweaves the stories of Doctorow's fictional characters (Father, Mother, Younger Brother, Coalhouse Walker, et al) giving their lives context by setting them in a very real early 20th century America inhabited by such historical personalities as Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbitt, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson, Harry K. Thaw and Stanford White.
Together Flaherty, Ahrens and McNally, thanks to Doctorow's inspiration, give us a look into the world-changing events of a new century - fraught with social upheavals, new discoveries and life-changing inventions - that resonate today, reminding us all that with each passing day, change is inevitable and the promise of a bright future awaits, however dimly it shines, further down the road. And while the greater implications of a new century loom large in Ragtime, the more personal stories of Father, Mother, Tateh, Coalhouse and his beloved Sarah provide the story with its true heart, making it much more accessible.
In Ragtime in Concert at STC, the company offers a refreshing remounting of the show - which is almost completely sung-through - that puts the focus on the intimate stories related and showcasing the music to grand effect. The orchestra that accompanies the 30-some voices onstage performs the technically challenging score with total commitment, the eight-member STC band skillfully delivering a score originally written for more than 20 musicians. The orchestra's accomplishments are just as impressive as those of the onstage actors and singers who bring the myriad of characters, both real and fictional, to life onstage before you.
And oh, what a wondrous cast of performers has been assembled by Street and Kelley! Of course, with a cast of this size and the realities of local theater, there is some disparity among the cast members insofar as experience and ability are concerned, but every single person on that stage is resolutely and convincingly committed to the task at hand. This being Music City, of course, the sound that issues forth from the assembled performers is nothing short of electrifying, certain to elicit your own emotionally charged reaction. Prepare yourself to become awestruck by this beautifully rendered music.
