MEF on Paper Mill's "Ragtime"- Page 3

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 11:37am

In fact, the couple that sat next to us talked, full voice, during all of the songs that involved Sarah or Coalhouse in the 1st Act before leaving at intermission. When the husband finally said "I didn't pay money to see those kind of people sing! We'd be better off without them!" I leaned over and said "And I didn't pay good money to hear a narrow-minded bigot. Maybe we would be better off without YOUR kind of people!"

Bravo to you for putting them in their place!

[LaCageAuxFollesFan2]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 11:55am

yep...thats the deplorable audience of which I refer...I moved from row GG mez to row D orch during intermission...but the constant tutting from an audience member everytime somebody said an off color word, or threw a punch, or refered to a Niger or Negro was heartbreaking to me...

I guess it just put me in my place about how RUDE & GAWD AWFUL not only theatre etiquite is in this country...but, how far we really HAVE NOT COME, especially amongst that particular age group is concerned (sorry, generalization I know...but you had to be there). What was happening on stage was not as good as it was 3 weeks ago when I saw it...BUT, that being said, its still an exquisite production and a telling tale that obviously still needs to be told over and over again!

[Madame X]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 12:22pm

I went on my own to "that" show (a week ago) and during intermission struck up a conversation with the (old) lady next to me. She then proceeded to comment LOUDLY to me during the 2nd Act (at least they were positive comments) - I guess we were friends then. But we were in row B and I am sure the actors could hear her. How do you tell someone, who you know all of 10 minutes, to shut up while the show is going on!

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 1:23pm

I've always wondered what the reaction to Ragtime would be from a predominantly African-American audience. Everytime I've seen it, there have been very few African-Americans in the audience.

My friend who accompanied me to the show told me that there were pockets of same sex couples in the town who really appreciate a show like this -- which I believe -- but I did sense that some of the older people in the audience were averse to the material. But the most racist audience had to be one with whom I saw the show in Evanston, IL, on Northwestern's campus. One elderly white woman gasped when I sat right next to her, so for my comfort's sake, I exchanged seats with my friend (who is Latina but looks Caucasian). There were also men sitting in front of and behind me who seemed to resent the fact that I knew so much about the show and came to see it. Finally, when the black women on stage said "and I wouldn't tell those peckerwoods even if I did," the audience gasped in unison and several couples walked out.
Updated On: 7/4/05 at 01:23 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 7/4/05 at 1:42pm

Lovely. Thankfully, the people who were yakking in back of me when I saw the show stopped it after I gave them what passes for my Glare O' Doom. But they (and several others) did have the temerity to practically run out of the theater right when the show ended, before the curtain call. Real classy- and these were all senior citizens, too. People say that theater manners are declining?

[jmnpublications]

Posted: 7/6/05 at 10:12pm

Hello, MEF et al,

I was at the July 3 matinee of RAGTIME and was so focused on the performances that I didn't even notice the audience. I was surprised that only half those in attendance stood at the end, but during the show I was not aware of their lack of response. I guess my group was so into it that we put ourselves in our own little bubble.

I agree with those who thought the show was an exceptional revival. I won't belabor the points that so many others have made so eloquently in previous posts on this thread, but I would like to weigh in on the swing and the car. Having never seen the original Broadway production, I had nothing but a regional company's watered down version to compare this to. That show had a rope swing that looked like it came from someone's back yard and a miniature wooden Model T that looked like a child's pedal toy. Ugh. They were downright silly.

In light of my previous experience, Arima's minimalist choices worked very well for me. I thought the umbrella handles and chairs used as choregraphic props for Evelyn Nesbit's musical numbers mimiced the action of a swing quite cleverly. I also felt that the assembly line number which used look-alike straight back chairs to symbolize mass produced car seats was a terrific set up for getting us to visualize Coalhouse's Model T in a later scene. When the car was trashed, my attention was on the hatred in the firemen's faces and the smoldering devastation turning to rage in Coalhouse's eyes. I think if there had been an actual Model T on stage that was being destroyed right in front of me, I would have been more focused on the smashing of the prop than on the emotional beating Coalhouse experienced.

Being a huge Rachel York fan, I of course loved her performance as Mother. I thought her "Back to Before" was the song that displayed the greatest dramatic arc of any in the entire score, and she nailed every nuance with passion and power. I also greatly enjoyed Neal Benari as Tateh, Kenita Miller as Sarah, Debra Cardona as Emma Goldman, Betsy Wolfe as Evelyn Nesbit, and Kelly J. Rucker as Sarah's Friend. The entire cast was strong, including Shonn Wiley as Younger Brother, David Hess as Father, and Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse. But those I mentioned previously really stood out for me.

It was definitely worth making the trip down to New Jersey from Boston. The fireworks I saw on stage were every bit as good as those I could have seen on the Esplanade while enjoying the Pops.

lc