MEF on Paper Mill's "Ragtime"

I was astounded by the Paper Mill Playhouse's brilliant recreation of the London minimalist staging of Ahrens and Flaherty's Ragtime, which is arguably one of the strongest scores of the past decade. The beautiful music stands alone, and in this production (superior to the original in many respects), everything is simply transcending.

Since pretty much everybody knows the story of the show, I will focus my review around the performances. In the role of Mother, the incredible Rachel York gives the performance of her career. She is strong-willed, lithe, empathetic, and utterly moving. As Sarah, Kenita R. Miller blew me away. After a successful run as LaChanze's understudy in Dessa Rose, where she went on for the better part of a month, it is obvious that she is going places.

Quentin Earl Darrington's Coalhouse is stirring. I had tears in my eyes during his glorious "Make Them Hear You". Neal Benari makes a moving Tateh, and is wildly superior to the original Tateh, Peter Friedman. Shonn Wiley is wonderful as Mother's Younger Brother, and David Hess makes the best of the underwritten role of Father.

All in all, this production must be seen. I don't know what more I can say.

Updated On: 6/26/05 at 08:59 PM

I went Thursday.
Can't wait to read your thoughts.

LC, I have no doubt that you will love it, given that you are probably Rachel York's most enthusiastic fan ever. Enjoy! She, and the production, are really superb.

I was there this afternoon as well.

Mostly agree.

My one complaint is that I though Darrington's voice and acting were never in sync with one another. I just found that when he was singing it was like a concert and when he was doing lines, he was in a play. Dunno really, just bothered me.

Rachel York was stunning as mother.

Thanks, all. Especially MEF. You made me smile.

lc

Yes, I should have mentioned Wiley. A really terrific young performer that truly is someone to watch. I didn't mean to overlook him, but with nothing but first rate performances in the ensemble, I had no superlatives left for him and half dozen others.

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I was there too this afternoon, we probably all stood on the platform waiting for the 5:49 train together I loved the minimalist staging, however this my first time seeing Ragtime so I'd probably have loved it no matter what they did. The performances were amazing. Rachel York, Shonn Wiley, Neal Benari, Quentin Earl Darrington, Kenita R. Miller all of them were amazing. I tend to be very emotional, but I was close to sobbing when Sarah died. I've rarely been that moved by a show. I don't have enough superlatives for this show and everyone else has already said it all better. I highly recommend it to everyone

Anyone care to refresh my memory on how to get from Manhattan to the Papermill and back this coming Friday evening? What time should I be headed toward the bus or train in Manhattan, and what time should I be headed toward the bus or train in Jersey? I know there are special weekday schedules.

My review will be up soon.

Worth skipping. The missing props are the least of it. A poorly-designed set and unimaginative lighting plot make this one of the cheapest-looking and gloomiest productions of a musical I have ever seen. Even minimalism needs to have some texture. And like the Roundabout FOLLIES, this stripped-down version defeats the show at every turn.

Great review, Gov. I agree with all of your points.

MEF, were you there os Sat. matinee...?

I was at the evening performance, and I believe you were at the same performance of Dessa Rose I was at...

We have a habit of seeing shows on the same day...

(and, I believe we have opposing views of the shows)

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I was lucky enough to attend the Saturday 6/25 matinee of Ragtime. I had seen the original production back in 1998 and ever since then, Ragtime has been my all time favorite musical ever. Of course, my brother and I were very excited to go on Saturday.

It took about an hour and 10 minutes to drive over from Ardsley, NY. (we hit some traffic on the Garden State Parkway) We listened to the OBC of Ragtime on the way over and were all psyched up for the production. We were not disappointed.

From the very beginning, I knew this was going to be a magical afternoon. The opening number was fantastic. The chorus blended together so well. Rachel York (one of the main reasons I went to see Ragtime) was brilliant as Mother. I saw her twice in Dessa Rose and fell in love with her. I will be a fan of hers for life. Goodbye My Love was amazing as was What Kind Of Woman. Also, Kenita Miller (who I had seen once as Dessa Rose) was perfectly cast as Sarah. Your Daddy's Son gave me chills. Her voice was in top form. Also, I have to mention Shonn Wiley as Mother's Younger Brother. I honestly thought he was better than the actor from the original cast. His part is not huge, but what he did with it was fabulous. As a side note, one of the chorus members, Kasey Marino, is incredibly hot!

In Act 1, there were three places that made me get teary-eyed. First was at the end of New Music, when Sarah came down the ladder and hugged Coalhouse...omg I was dying! Also, Wheels of a Dream really got to me. I absolutely LOVE that song. Finally, the end of Act 1 was amazing (Till We Reach That Day). The ensemble sang their hearts out and it really affected me. My brother and I were speechless as Act 1 ended. We were both completely blown away.

I also have to mention that the absence of the swing or the car did not affect the performance at all. The choreography for Evelyn Nesbitt's song totally made up for the lack of the swing. Also, the use of chairs instead of the car was fine. I absolutely LOVED the song Henry Ford. What the chorus did with those chairs was beyond incredible.

We had bought $35 tickets, which were in the second to last row of the balcony, but my brother and I moved up to the 4th row orchestra for Act 2. So glad I got to see Rachel York up close again!

Act 2 was equally as wonderful as Act 1. What A Game was perfectly staged. I laughed out loud when the son spit on Father at the end of the song. It was such a funny way to end it! Also, Sarah Brown Eyes was so moving that I definitely had tears in my eyes. The direction here was stunning. Sarah and Coalhouse were dancing with each other, but never actually touched (since Sarah was already dead at this point). Also, Rachel York's Back To Before was indescribable. It was far superior to Marin's. Rachel York is a goddess. Every time she sings, I get chills. She has such stage presence, such control over her powerful voice and such a large range...brilliant! Finally, at the very end, when Coalhouse Jr. walked out on stage, the entire audence went "awwwwwwwww." He was an adorable kid. And what a way to end the show. Coalhouse and Sarah (both deceased at this point) were on top of the bridge, symbolizing that they are in heaven, and they were looking down on their child, who now had a good home with Mother and Tateh and their children. Standing ovation for the cast...and well deserved.

I am so lucky to have seen this production and I urge you all to go see it if you can get there in the next few weeks. My brother and I are seriously considering going back on July 17th for the closing performance. Ragtime, in my opinion, has the best music ever written for a broadway show. This production has top notch actors and excellent direction. Honestly, it was so much better than most of the broadway musicals I saw this season and I really hope I will be able to see another broadway mounting of this fabulous musical in my lifetime.