RAGTIME REVIEWS — Page 2

KChenowethfan, I did the same thing. Although I already had 3 sets of tickets, I just couldn't resist, so I purchased a ticket to the final performance during intermission!

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Saw the show this afternoon and I have to say I *loved* it so much. The sets, direction, lighting and musical staging were all excellent. We had an understudy for Sarah, and sadly, she wasn't very good, but it was her first time ever going on in the role, so I guess I can forgive her. Leigh Ann Larkin, Manoel Feliciano, and Quentin Earl Darrignton were great as Evelyn Nesbitt, Tateh, and Coalhouse respectively. Bobby Steggert and Ron Bohmer were excellent as Younger Brother and Father, respectively.

However, the standout in the cast who is giving a star-turn is Christiane Noll as Mother. I have to admit, I went in a bit skeptical about how she would be able to handle the role, but honestly she blew the entire audience away. Her acting, her facial expressions, her hand, arm, and eye movements, and her voice were all perfect. The scene during "Our Children" with Manoel Feliciano was perfect. You could definitely tell the chemistry between the two of them (and frankly, this was also Manoel's best scene - probably because he was playing off of Christiane). Her "Back to Before" gave me chills six times. It was tremendous. Her vocal control, pitch, dynamics, and power were all spot on, and the way she acted her way through the song was equally as wonderful. Congratulations to Christiane for doing justice to the role of Mother, making it her own, and proving me (and others) wrong about how outstanding an actress and singer she is. I was truly blown away by her performance in the show today and I am so glad I was able to be there to witness it live.

Congrats to the cast and crew of RAGTIME - and here's to a healthy rest of the run at the Kennedy Center.

I saw the show this afternoon as well and agree with WithoutATrace in his assessment, though I warmed up significantly to the understudy for Sarah as the show went on (I overheard someone say she had almost no rehearsal besides a put-in late last night.)

RAGTIME is my favorite musical of all time and I can say that this production far exceeded my high expectations for it.

The cast, set, and production values are all universally incredible. I have a hard time imagining there could be a higher quality revival of the show. In particular, "'Till We Reach That Day" (featuring two phenomenal singers leading the company as Sarah's Friend and the Soprano Soloist) was one of the most thrilling theatrical moments I have ever experienced.

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty hinted at a Kennedy Center panel discussion last week that they are hoping New York producers are interested in the show. With the reviews it received and just how appropriate the message is at this moment in history, I don't think the time could be any more right for a new Broadway mounting.

Big congratulations to Marcia Milgrom Dodge and everyone involved down in D.C. for producing such stellar work. This is certainly something not to be missed.

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Updated On: 5/3/09 at 01:46 AM

After going on and on to WAT about how wonderful Jennlee Shallow was as Sarah, I was terribly disappointed yesterday when we got to the Eisenhower to see that the understudy would be on. The understudy was a bit pitchy, but that could have been nerves. I give her credit because there was not one bit of hesitancy in her performance. I liked her acting choices. Something must be going around as I heard that Quentin (Coalhouse) was out Friday evening.

Yes, Christiane Noll as Mother is a revelation. Her Back to Before gave me such chills. I'm so glad I get to see this production at least 2 more times, but I have a feeling I'll be going one day during this week as well.

I thought yesterday's audience was lot more responsive than the audience I was in last Sunday. The standing ovation was instantaneous when the cast came out for their bows.

bwaybabe2, I'm so sorry you didn't get to see this. According to their website, I believe yesterday's matinee was sold out, but I got my $25 tickets as soon as they went on sale.

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Updated On: 5/3/09 at 07:00 AM

I saw the show for the third time last night, and I wholeheartedly agree with all of the praise here. The Kennedy Center's production is stunning, and I feel fortunate to have been able to see such a great production of my favorite show.

The cast is so uniformly excellent that it's difficult to name standouts. Quentin Earl Darrington makes a star turn as Coalhouse, and I'm quite surprised that his performance at Paper Mill wasn't as well received based on what I saw this weekend. His voice, in particular, is fantastic. Christiane Noll and Mano Felciano have definite chemistry and are both wonderful in their respective parts. Christiane delivers a beautiful "Back to Before," but I fell in love with her during Mother's quieter moments, and she really inhabits the role. And though Mano might not have been the first actor to come to mind for Tateh, he does an outstanding job and has believable chemistry with both Christiane and the actress who plays Little Girl. I saw Jennlee Shallow as Sarah one night and understudy Sasha Sloan the other two. Sasha does a lovely job acting the role and I like her take, but she was pitchy throughout the show both nights I saw her. Jennlee has the powerful, impressive voice the role requires. I also particularly enjoyed Bobby Steggert and Ron Bohmer as Mother's Younger Brother and Father, but there isn't a weak link in the cast. It's such an ensemble show, which is perfect as it really showcases all of these talented actors.

The design of the show is lovely and effective, and I'm thrilled that they didn't skimp.. As strong as the material is, a certain degree of spectacle is necessary, and the Kennedy Center really delivered here. I love the multi-tiered set, and in certain scenes it seemed to me that that setup was more effective than the staging in the original production. I was also impressed with the choreography.

All of this really comes together to showcase what a great musical McNally, Ahrens and Flaherty adapted from Doctorow's novel. I was constantly marveling at certain lines or lyrics or musical themes that tie together Ragtime's diverse cast of characters, whether it's Houdini's theme or the symmetry of Father, Mother and Tateh's trio in "Journey On." Though it's purely anecdotal, I heard nothing but raves from the audience members near me, most of whom were completely unfamiliar with the show at first. I don't know how realistic hopes that this production will transfer are, but it certainly seems to be a crowd-pleaser.

Updated On: 5/6/09 at 06:21 PM

I just saw the show and thought it was fantastic. Beautifully directed. In some ways a much larger scale, but does not feel so grandiose as the original. Wonderful cast, from start to finish.

Dottie, I'm beginning to think that I should take a "quick" other trip to DC, just to see this! This is one of those shows I've wanted to see for the longest, and it's not fair I should miss out on such a greatly reviewed one...ummm...planning and scheming here...

Heading down today! Yay!

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lynnetoomey - was Jennlee Shallow in last night?

Regarding the rumors, I have yet to hear any of those. It's amazing that when their mediocre production of Mame played a few years ago the "Broadway transfer" rumors reached a fever pitch. This production definitely deserves a Broadway transfer.

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The full company was in. I saw it again (this time from the balcony- much different perspective than front row). Noll and Steggert still remain standouts for me, but the whole cast deserves praise.

In any event, I went with a young girl from Cameroon and an older woman from Germany with only basic English language skills along with some others who have already seen the show. The show transcended these language barriers and they both remarked how much they loved the show and the message when we discussed it in Spanish (long story) after the show.

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How long is it running?

It's running until May 17th.

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I had an opportunity to also see Ragtime last Saturday. In my life, I guess I've have seen ~100 Broadway or touring performances of Broadway shows. This performance of Ragtime rates in my alltime top 5. I saw the orginal production on Broadway with the original cast and can honestly say that I enjoyed the current production much more. As others have said, there is not a weak cast member. In my opinion, they compare favorably to the original cast and that says something. But, for me the major difference was the staging. The minimalist 3-level staging is really ingeneous. One of my complaints with the original production was that the personal stories of the characters sometimes got lost in the opulance of the staging. With the current production I was able to concentrate more on the characters and was able to relate to them on a much deeper level. Additionally, from the opening number the 3 levels of the staging offered a visual opportunity to exentuate the seperation of the 3 social classes (wealthy, immigrants and blacks), thus making the eventual intertwining of their stories even more remarkable and poignant.
If you have an opportunity to get a ticket to the Kennedy Center, I say run, don't walk. It will be well worth your while. Remember, it's only there one more week.
Finally, I will echo the hope of others here that this production will not be lost to the ages but rather that the producers consider transferring it to Broadway.

Updated On: 5/8/09 at 02:58 PM