Thoughts on Ragtime 12/22

[jewishboy]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:05am

I saw Ragtime tonight and I just wanted to post some brief thoughts.

1. Overall, I thought that this production while having some great subtle dramatic moments, lacked oomph, passion and power. I thought the set crowded the actors and looked plain ugly. Some lighting was just baffling ("Till We Reach That Day," for example) and the choreography uninspired, particularly for "Gettin' Ready Rag." And the ensemble while nuanced, intimate and subtle did not make the piece as ultimately moving as I've experienced from past productions.

2. Most actors were really not able to project I felt, especially Ron Bohmer who I could barely hear. It was interesting because it was such a relief whenever Donna Migliaccio as Emma Goldman began to sing because she really belted her lyrics out and I could hear and understand every word.

3. As for the lead actors I thought Robert Petkoff as Tateh was the best. I was surprisingly disappointed with Christiane Noll, as Mother, who I fell in love with in the Encores! production of New Moon. I have seen her perform many times (sometimes without a microphone) and I've always been amazed at the power and beauty of her voice. But, maybe she had a cold tonight because her soprano was shrill and her belting very small.
I had seen Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse in the Papermill production opposite the wonderful Kenita R. Miller as Sarah and he was wonderful then. But opposite Stephanie Umoh as Sarah he just wasn't as strong (and their voices did not sound good together). For the most part his acting was excellent, but his voice did not have enough depth or richness for Coalhouse. I really enjoyed Ms. Umoh's performance as Sarah and found her to be one of the few actors tonight who had a real presence when they came on stage. Also her scene in the second act was particularly haunting and sweet, she did seem to be channeling Audra McDonald a little in that scene (not a bad thing).

Overall, I found this to be a lackluster production of a musical with an amazing score and a lot of flaws which I hadn't noticed until tonight (mainly to due with length). But, maybe the cast just needed some more sparkle and oomph for my taste.






Updated On: 12/23/09 at 04:05 AM

[philly03]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:10am

I saw the show Monday night!

I never saw the original Ragtime, but I agree - for the first Act, I was bored and didn't get the hype. But I thought the second act made up for it entirely. Very strong!

" I was surprisingly disappointed with Christiane Noll, as Mother, who I fell in love with in the Encores! production of New Moon. I have seen her perform many times (sometimes without a microphone) and I've always been amazed at the power and beauty of her voice. But, maybe she had a cold tonight because her soprano was shrill and her belting very small."

I couldn't agree with you more - as a listener of her solo CDs, I couldn't believe she sounded so low. Ron Bohmer, save for when I saw him in The Scarlet Pimpernel (at the same theatre!), has always had a lower voice, both speaking and singing (Although Woman in White is the only other time I've seen him I believe!). Noll's singing wasn't as loud and strong as if had been and I thought she would still be a huge power belter, perhaps not. I thought the same thing, maybe just a cold this weekend. Still loved her and she was my favourite!

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 5:37am

Wow...if we are going to be critical, I guess that the actor who played the Brother was my least favorite (he only had a good scene, the others were really not that good).
I have not seen Christiane Noll before, so could not judge on that one. But she was right on when I saw her.
And I loved the choreography. That goes to show you how different we all are in our perceptions and likes.
But, the fact that they got a standing ovation right off the bat at curtain call, makes me think I got to see the excellent production that I had described priorly.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 8:13am

I completely agree with everything you said, jewishboy.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 9:15am

It's entirely possible that the night you saw the show that there was a problem with Noll's mic and/or transmitter that affected her volume. As for Donna, she can hit the back of the house without a mic and quite frankly is unusual in theatre for her ability to project.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 10:37am

Where did you sit?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 11:07am

WOW! You saw Kenita Miller as Sarah. I wish that casting had made it to Broadway. Kenita is divine on every level and such an authentic and vulnerable actress.

I loved the show, but felt Umoh was the weakest link "Audra-lite", so to speak. I adored Noll and also though Bobby Steggert was stunning.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 1:05pm

Bobby Steggert was my favorite part of this production. I've seen several productions of Ragtime and Bobby took the role in the direction it was meant to be taken. His character growth in the show was really strong and I thought he was pretty brilliant.

And Kenita Miller as Sarah...now, THAT I would love to see!

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 2:14pm

Jewishboy, if I remember correctly, you saw the LaGuardia production, too, right? How did they compare?

[jewishboy]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:02pm

I mean it's hard to compare a High school production to a Broadway one, but one moment that was much better in the LaGuardia one was "Till We Reach That Day."

I liked Bobby Steggert, but I thought he overplayed the transformation that Younger Brother goes through.

Oh, and I was sitting in the second row of the Mezz.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:10pm

I agree about wanting more from the choreography, and specifically Gettin Ready Rag as well. I mean the cast has so much energy but what they're actually doing is just whatever.

I hope you at least got to stay for the talk-back. It was excellent.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:24pm

^Oh, I wasn't clear, sorry! I meant in terms of concept (aka the tiered set and the abstract car).

[jewishboy]

Posted: 12/23/09 at 4:29pm

I forget the car in the LaGuardia production, but the car in the revival was the ugliest stage car I've ever seen.

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 1:29am

Got to get in on this conversation. I saw it a week ago Thursday, 12/17. Ragtime is one of my favorite shows and I was looking forward to seeing a big Broadway production after seeing a small but incredibly powerful one at the Apollo in Chicago a couple summers ago.

I thought this one had no interesting choices, and as a theatre student learning lighting among other things, I was constantly distracted by the terrible lighting choices. The lights do not have to get brighter at the end of every number. And those roving spotlights on the floor were useless. The set didn't do anything special to serve the piece and made sightlines terrible from the mezz, though I would guess also from the orchestra. I needed the entire show to be so much LOUDER. That score is so powerful, but even 34 people with mics can sound lame if they aren't turned up enough. In that respect (as in most, actually,) the Chicago production far surpassed this one, because in that small space the unamplified actors were incredibly commanding with their voices. Regardless of boring choices, if the music had at least been powerful, I could have really enjoyed myself.

And I agree. That car was hideous.

[minicko88]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:05am

RENTingFame, I am sorry but I can't disagree with you more. I found it to be better than the original. I will agree with the volume of the show. I think they should turn it up a little bit. However, I believe they left a lot to the imagination which was an interesting thing. I loved the set and the backdrop. The cast=AMAZING. I found it to be astonishing, but I guess that is why people have different tastes. I am sorry you didn't like it that much.

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 3:58am

I don't have a problem with things being left to the imagination, I just didn't feel like the director/production team made many interesting choices. I'm generally a fan of minimalism, although this production didn't seem to be able to make up its mind. I liked the glass piano, though I'm not sure what the purpose of it was, and I thought the moving stairs and the topmost platform did a few vaguely interesting things. Also there was a moment when the psyche light in the back was the only light and the silhouettes looked amazing. That's about all I've got. I have no idea why there was purple or hot pink light in the show. I tried, but I didn't get there.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 7:28am

RENTingFame, I am sorry but I can't disagree with you more. I found it to be better than the original.

Did you see the original?

[broadwayfan3]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 12:59pm

I too saw Ragtime this week. I did not see the original or any other production of the show. I was familiar with the score, but did not really know the plot before I entered the theater. I heard wonderful things about the original, so I was expecting a wonderful show.

**Possible spoilers**

That being said, I liked the show a lot. I'd give it four stars out of five. It wasn't a perfect show. Act one was boring and slow. It didn't really pick up until "New Music". "The Wheels of a Dream" was horrible and it is one of my favorite musical theater songs. The end of act one was touching and well done. Act two was brilliant. However, "What a Game" although funny and cute, ruined the flow of the act. "Back to Before" sounded beautiful, but seemed to drag. However, many other songs were absolutely stunning. "Our Children" is a beautiful song and a very touching moment in the story. "He Wanted to Say" was actually my favorite number in the show; it brought me to tears. The last scene is brilliant; "Look What You've Done" and "Make Them Hear You" made my heart pound. I am not usually a fan of "then so and so did this and so so did that and so and so died and so and so got married" but the Epilogue was beautifully done and it was nice to see such a big company onstage together-it's not something you see very often anymore.

Onto the actors. I think Quentin Earl Darrington, as Coalhouse, was amazing. He has the voice of an angle and he is a brilliant actor. Christiane Noll has a very nice voice, but did not deliver like I wished she would. Robert Petkoff was brilliant as Tateh, he has a beautiful voice and when he sang, I didn't want him to stop. Bobby Steggert's acting was touching and he really transferred his emotions to the audience. He was my favorite actor in the show. Although all these people were brilliant, I believe Stephanie Umoh really brought the show down. She was not a lovable Sarah, her voice hurt my ears, and her acting seemed fake at best. It seemed that she was trying too hard to be Audra McDonald and was failing pitifully.
All in all, I hope the show finds an audience; it has a great message, great music, and many wonderful actors. This show deserves to be seen.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:03pm

Having not seen the transfer, I do find it interesting when people comment that they feel Stephanie Umoh is trying to be Audra McDonald given that Umoh was 14 years old when the OBP of Ragtime closed. Perhaps vocally she is trying, but to suggest that she's somehow trying to copy McDonald's acting of the part I think a bit far fetched.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:14pm

I do find it interesting when people comment that they feel Stephanie Umoh is trying to be Audra McDonald given that Umoh was 14 years old when the OBP of Ragtime closed.

What does that have to do with anything?

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:31pm

Because she never saw Audra McDonald's performance (note Boston Globe interview where it states she hadn't ever seen a Broadway production when she entered the Boston Conservatory) and therefore couldn't be copying her performance. If you want to argue that she is vocally trying to emulate Ms. McDonald, then I can't argue the point given that I haven't seen the transfer, and since there is a cast recording she could be referencing.

[broadwayfan3]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:31pm

"I do find it interesting when people comment that they feel Stephanie Umoh is trying to be Audra McDonald given that Umoh was 14 years old when the OBP of Ragtime closed. Perhaps vocally she is trying, but to suggest that she's somehow trying to copy McDonald's acting of the part I think a bit far fetched."

I assume you got this from my comment. I meant it mostly towards her vocals since she doesn't really act at all during her performance. But when she was on stage, her expressions, her motions, and even some of her pronunciations resemble that of Audra McDonald's. I'm not saying that she *is* trying to mimic or copy her, I'm just saying that when I watched her perform it felt like I was watching a poor man's Audra McDonald.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 2:36pm

You are aware that there are videos of the original production, right?

Anyway, that's not the point. I think most people are talking about her imitating Audra vocally anyway.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 4:43pm

But, the thing is, she doesn't have the same vocal "command/range" (not sure the right word) that Audra has. I think Umoh does nicely in the role and I did not mind her high belting (which I think is where it sounds a little strained and where the comparisons to Audra must end). But, some of her phrasing during the "Sarah Brown Eyes" scene did make me think of Audra.

RENTingFAME, I agree with you about the lights.

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 12/26/09 at 6:44pm

Audra McDonald is a goddess. No one I've seen has the vocal prowess she does. I wouldn't blame Umoh for trying to emulate McDonald, though she didn't succeed. And couldn't, since the music needs to be turned up. As I was sitting towards the back of the mezz, I can't really talk about acting ability or actual vocal power not messed up by (lack of) amplification.