by Kimberly Harper
The Providence Performing Arts Center continues its Encore series this weekend with the Tony Award winning “Ragtime,” and it’s a great show.
Set primarily in New York in 1906, the show is about the nation changing at the dawn of the new century, and primarily follows three people on their own journeys of change. There’s the rich, white Mother who has spent her adult life following the rules of her husband, the much more unbending Father. When Father leaves town for a year long Arctic expedition, she is faced with bigger challenges and decisions than she’s ever had to before, and she begins the slow transformation to finding her own voice. Then there’s the immigrant artist Tateh who comes to America seeking a better life for his daughter, only to find the American Dream isn’t as easy as promised. Finally there’s African American Ragtime piano player Coalhouse Walker Jr. who abandons his performance career to get a steady job and win back his love, Sarah. But just when he and Sarah are facing a hopeful future, tragedy strikes, sending him down a dark path.
The cast is one vocal powerhouse after another. Kate Turner as Mother is captivating. Her voice blends seamlessly with whoever she is singing with, and her solo work is breathtaking. Her second act song “Back to Before” is performed on a bare stage with only a red sky projected behind her and her voice is all that’s needed to keep the audience captivated the entire time. Leslie Jackson as Sarah is another incredible singer. Her major number is “Your Daddy’s Hands,” a song where she begs her infant son’s forgiveness for abandoning him at birth. Sarah’s pain, anger and fear comes through in every note. She is an exemplary actress and her chemistry with Coalhouse Walker Jr., played by Chris Sams, is wonderful, making their numbers some of the best in the show. Sams, too, is an excellent singer and does justice to the incredibly moving “Make Them Hear You.”
In supporting roles, Jeffrey Johnson II as Booker T. Washington and Sandy Zwier as the outspoken anarchist Emma Goldman have notable voices and serve as catalysts for some of the show’s biggest moments. Jillian Van Niel as the vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit is extremely entertaining, whether she is being received as the most beautiful woman in the country or, later, a burlesque performer in Atlantic City.
The leads and feature roles in this show may be played by great talent, but it is the ensemble that is the backbone of “Ragtime.” Excellent actors across the board, their voices are rich and harmonize well together. They also serve as multiple characters, from vaudeville performers to firemen, help actors with quick changes and move the set – the primary pieces being two large staircases that have many configurations throughout the show.
The show itself is full of wonderful music and an important story. There are some moments in Act 2 that seem very out of place – including a baseball scene that seems thrown in just to give Father something else to do. It’s by far the campiest number and takes you out of the story a bit – but the act recovers quickly. There were many children in the audience on opening night, however, it may be wise to read up on some of the themes before taking children under 12. There are moments that are quite dark.
The only major downfall in the entire three hour performance was some fairly significant sound issues – songs were often interrupted by loud static. This would have been a very difficult issue to address in the middle of a show, hopefully it will be fixed for the remaining two performances. The lack of a live orchestra should also be noted. The volume of the vocals could have used a little bump but that may have been due to the aforementioned sound issues.
If you haven’t seen Ragtime before, hurry and get your tickets before it leaves town. You won’t be disappointed. If you have seen it, it’s worth revisiting for the talent on the stage alone. This is one tour you don’t want to miss.
Ragtime continues to play April 9 and 10 at PPAC, 220 Weybosset St., Providence, with Saturday shows at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday performances at 1:00 and 6:30. Tickets start at $52 and may be obtained at the PPAC Box Office, online at www.ppacri.org or by phone at (401) 421-2787.
