#RAGTIME BROADWAY FULL#

Watching this sweeping portrait of America in 1906 reminds us that there is much work still to be done in 2022 to be the country that lives up to the hopes and dreams of the people we meet in Ragtime, to live up to those of the people we are today.

#RAGTIME BROADWAY FULL#

The intertwining of three families' lives–a suburban white family of some wealth, a Jewish immigrant family arriving full of hope with only a suitcase in hand, and a Black family seeking their rightful share of the American dream that has thus far eluded them–becomes marred and marked by violent anti-immigrant sentiment, racist attitudes among the general public, police brutality against Black Americans, prejudice against labor movements, and attempts to thwart women's independence of thought and control of their own lives. By the instant and sustained standing ovation as the ensemble's closing harmonies shook the rafters of the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, I believe that, while going in biased, my opinions were universally shared on opening night.Įven more than when it was first produced on Broadway in 1998 or by TheatreWorks in 2002, Ragtime is as much about America in the current day as it is about America at the dawn of the twentieth century. I am here to report that my expectation has not only been met, but has been exceeded by the magnificently cast, directed, and produced Ragtime, now being presented in a stunning, stirring, and spectacular production by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. All is supported by a glorious score and a set of songs of the emerging ragtime music genre ringing forth from Harlem in 1906–propulsive, syncopated music that in itself was both hopeful for change for many and a threat to stability for too many, according to whose ears were listening.Īnd, to continue my confession, when my favorite musical Ragtime is being staged by the company I personally most associate in the San Francisco Bay Area as perennially the proven, premiere venue to see great musicals–the Tony Award winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley–and when that same musical is being directed by someone who has time and again been lauded and awarded over the past fifty-plus years for his sensitive, heartfelt, inclusive, and creative artistry–founder and recently retired TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley–then, readers, you need to know that going in I expect this Ragtime to be a 'must-see' until I am proven wrong. But the musical does not shy away from their struggles, with those dreams too often smashed by the violent backlash from the threatened white male majority and the powers of the police and the politicians they control. Doctorow's 1975 novel by the same name, Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Lynn Ahrens' (lyrics) Ragtime incorporates early twentieth century stories of this country's immigrants, Black Americans, women, and the labor movement with uplifting dreams for a better tomorrow.

In my humble opinion, if there is one musical that could be called The Great American Musical, it is Ragtime. Regional Reviews: San Jose/Silicon ValleyĪlso see Eddie's review of Clue: On Stage

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