The chorus adds to the ensembles beautifully (although they could be slightly louder) and the orchestra brings the strong score to the forefront. Practically EVERYTHING about Encore!’s production of RAGTIME is flawless. The audience even began a standing ovation after her incredible second act showstopper “Back to Before.” Hannah Laird, as Mother, is simply perfect. Faith Boles portrayal of Sarah is spot on her strong vocals brings “Your Daddy’s Son” to life with electricity. His vocals are great but he did lend a little bit of a pop vibe to the role which is slightly off character. As the leads, Darnell Abraham is a fine Coalhouse Walker, Jr. Andrew Meidernbauer’s Father, Natale Pirrotta’s Younger Brother, and Meghan Moroney’s Emma Goldman are also incredibly well performed and are all three extremely impressive. Swickard brings down the house in his numbers. Interestingly, in almost every production of RAGTIME I’ve ever seen, the show tends to be punctuated by an outstanding performance by the actor portraying this character.
Probably the biggest standout of the show is Michael Swickard, who plays the lovable and iconic foreigner Tateh. In fact, I would even venture to say that not only does this ensemble surpass that of RAGTIME‘s recent tour, but also the Tony-nominated revival of the production that lived a very short life on Broadway back in 2010. Practically every performer in this cast would fit in just perfectly on any show on Broadway. The talent on display here is second to none. These characters are surrounded by true historic figures from American history that help shape their stories, all of which eventually become extremely interconnected. Three main sets of characters–some from a privileged upper White class, some from a struggling Black class, and some from a very struggling immigrant class–are immersed in the US during the turn of the century. The story of the show is quite elaborate and based upon source material by E.L. And this production is lightyears beyond the touring production of RAGTIME that has encircled the US for the past 7 months. And except for the 200 choral members flanking the action on stage right and left, there’s an entire musical production being presented here.
The show is acted out, in costume, complete with elaborate props and moving set pieces and well thought out staging and choreography.
And although, like AIDA, RAGTIME is being billed as “The Musical In Concert,” there’s no mistaking that this mounting of one of the best musicals to ever grace the Broadway stage, is so much more than that. Now, they’ve brought an absolutely gorgeous and lush production of one of my all-time favorite Broadway musicals, RAGTIME, to the stage of the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Their 2015 production of AIDA left me with my jaw agape and drooling. Encore! Cast Performing Arts has struck theatrical gold again.
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