Ragtime - Washington, DC - Wow!!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/26/09 at 5:52pm

To say that Ragtime is my all-time favorite musical is an understatement. I purchased the original CD before the show even opened on Broadway and fell in love with the score immediately. I saw the Broadway production five times including once in previews and the final performance. IMO, the original cast was perfection. Because I love this show so much, I was very excited, yet a bit hesitant when I found out that The Kennedy Center would be producing their own production. My last experience with a staged production of Ragtime was at Papermill which I really didn't care for one bit (and that's being kind). I am so glad that the present production at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC exceeded all my expectations and wiped out the disappointing Papermill production.

Quentin Earl Darrington gave a wonderfully sung and acted performance as Coalhouse. His "Let Them Hear You" had me in tears.

Christiane Noll was a marvel as Mother. She was warm, sincere and stood her ground when she needed to. I have never heard, "Back to Before" sung like I did this afternoon. Wow!!

Manoel Felciano (Tateh) - excellent - don't know how else to put it.

Jennlee Shallow (Sarah) - had a vocal quality very different from Audra and LaChanze. I thought she had a beautiful voice and her "Daddy's Son" was truly moving. Loved her!

Ron Bohmer - excellent as Father.

Bobby Steggert (Mother's younger brother) - very effective performance.

Leigh Ann Larkin is my new favorite Evelyn Nesbitt. Up until now, Michele Ragusa was my favorite.

My only disappointment was during the opening number. It was staged and sung very well, but in comparison to the Broadway production, it could have used more people on stage. That was my only quibble this afternoon. I thought the set was very effective. Though not as cinematic as Frank Galati's original direction, the direction here was excellent. The cast equally strong.

I loved this production so much that I purchased a ticket to the final performance during intermission!! That will make it a total of 4 times during its DC run.

Updated On: 5/6/09 at 05:52 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 11:53am

Here's an interview with Quentin Earl Darrington (Coalhouse) and Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Director).

"New Music" is one of my favorite numbers as well. Seeing this number live and hearing it on the CD always bring tears to my eyes.

Go towards the middle of the page on the link.


Quentin Earl Darrington Interview

Updated On: 4/27/09 at 11:53 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/27/09 at 11:56am

Looking forward to seeing this with you on Saturday!!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 9:28am

Saw the show again for the 6th time last night. This was the first time that I saw Jonathan Hammond in the role of Tateh. He gives a very different, yet just as good performance as Manoel Felciano gave. His chemistry with Christiane Noll was amazing considering this is his first and only week doing this role here.

In a role with not many lines, Bobby Steggert continues to give a wonderfully riveting performance as Mother's Younger Brother. When he's on stage, I can't keep my eyes off of him. His face is very expressive.

This production has just gotten stronger with each passing performance I have seen.

I would be very remiss if I didn't mention the orchestra which just added to the experience. How wonderful to hear the score played by such a large orchestra.

I will say in my 9 years of theatre-going in DC these have been the most enthusiastic audiences I have experienced here.

I am so happy this production was here and so pleased I got to see it as many times as I did. Kind of sad that tomorrow evening will be the last performance in DC, but I truly hope that this production does in fact transfer to Broadway.

Congratulations to all involved.

Updated On: 5/16/09 at 09:28 AM

[rjjn]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 4:34pm

I'll be with you at the last performance! Hope it does end up transferring.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 7:19pm

Saw the matinee today and LOVED it. "Emotionally devastated" is the best way to describe my response. Like others in the audience, I was moved to near speechlessness.

Carrie A. Johnson was on as Mother, and she was PERFECT. I wish I could see her perform the role again tonight.

Actually, EVERYONE was perfect. Simply a beautiful production, outstanding performances and an unforgettable theatrical experience. Marcia Dodge should be very, very proud.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 7:22pm

Any pictures from this or the original Broadway production? I'm curious to see this "cinematic scope."

This is one of the shows I've yet to invest some time in and explore. I've heard "Make Them Hear You" sung by Norma Lewis, and loved/love it, but I haven't gotten into the rest of the score.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 7:57pm

Miss P, I'm thrilled that you loved it. I think you summed it up perfectly. I remember being absolutely speechless when I saw it for the first time 3 weeks ago. I was so choked up I couldn't speak. On my way out I ran into one of the ensemble members and told the person, "Amazing, that's all I can say I'm so choked up!"

I was thinking of 2nd acting it tonight just to hear Carrie sing, "Back to Before".

Updated On: 5/16/09 at 07:57 PM

[Mamie]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 8:11pm

I was also there this afternoon and I agree completely with everyone's comments - particularly concerning the quality of the performances. The same performers particularly impressed me - Carrie Johnson, Jonathan Hammond, and Bobby Steggert. Carrie's Back to Before was so powerful and emotional that they could have ended the show right there. I also want to mention Jennlee Shallow. What an exquisite, heart touching voice she has! She had me in tears halfway through Your Daddy's Son.

(I'm getting a little tired of leaving theatres with tears running down my face!)

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 8:14pm

Mamie, that's the best part!!!

RippedMan, here are 3 pictures from the present production:



Ragtime Pix

Updated On: 5/16/09 at 08:14 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 8:21pm

Did Christianne Noll have to leave the production early, too (like Feliciano)? Or was she just out today?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 8:27pm

Christiane Noll was out just for today because she had a prior commitment. I believe she performed at NJPAC today.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 10:19pm

Which theatre do you think this will take in New York when the transfer happens next season?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 11:19pm

They want the Neil Simon, apparently.

Too bad Finian's Rainbow has the St. James in the fall. That might be a better fit.
Updated On: 5/16/09 at 11:19 PM

[kec]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 11:36pm

I just came back from the evening performance. It was my first time seeing this show, and I almost didn't go, but I'm glad I did. WOW is right. Outstanding performances by everyone involved particularly Quentin Earl Darrington. I really got caught up in Coalhouse's story, and, although I should have expected the outcome, it nonetheless made me jump and had me in tears.

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 5/16/09 at 11:40pm

PLEASE I hope to god it transfers.

[RagtimeRay]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 8:21am

As you can tell from my screen name, I'm a big fan of RAGTIME. I saw the show one week before its Broadway opening, and was there for the closing B'way performance. I also saw the National tour (twice) and the Chicago production. It had been six years since I had last seen the show (a wonderful community theatre production), and I wasn't prepared for the emotional punch that the Kennedy Center production would give me (at Saturday's matinee).

This show deserves another chance on the Broadway stage, if only to give a generation of new theatregoers a chance to hear this exceptional score.

Congratulations to the Kennedy Center on a great production.

Updated On: 5/17/09 at 08:21 AM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 10:30am

I've always loved the score of Ragtime, but had never seen it onstage (apart from the video of the OBC at the Lincoln Center library). I know realize what a flawed show it really is, although I still respect the piece immensely for its scope and vision. I guess I just wasn't as blown away by this production as everyone else. I thought the direction and staging were generally very good, but some of the casting really brought the whole thing down a notch or two for me. The second act has always been a problem for me, because there are just too many songs that throw off the pacing just as the main dramatic thrust of the show is coming to a head ("What a Game," "Atlantic City," "Buffalo Nickel..."). There are too many stories that must be brought to a close and the show just sort of seems to get lost in the woods a little at this point. Marcia Milgrom Dodge's staging was fluid and cinematic, which helped some of these flow problems, but couldn't overcome them completely. I thought Quentin Earl Darrington was a compelling Coalhouse and Christiane Noll was wonderful as Mother. I saw Jonathan Hammond as Tateh and while he had some wonderfully tender moments with the Little Girl, I found his overall characterization a little strange. I felt similarly about Ron Bohmer as Father who sometimes slipped into a strange cartoonishness. My biggest casting quibble was Jennlee Shallow as Sarah. Her voice was like some combination of Jennifer Hudson and Heather Headley, which didn't really suit the material and didn't really blend with Darrington's on their duets. "Your Daddy's Son" barely registered for me which is a shame, because it's a brilliant song.

I'd welcome this show back to Broadway with open arms, because it is without question one of the best musicals of the last decade. With some tweaking, this could definitely be the right production with which to revive the show.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 10:36am

I agree with you on Jennlee Shallow. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just did not love her voice.

[DANLOW]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 11:11am

RagtimeRay, you said it --
"...and I wasn't prepared for the emotional punch."

Without a doubt, "Ragtime" at the KC packs a big theater going wallop for many including myself. Bringing the characters front and center has given them immediate entry to my heart. Without exception the actors take the opening and soar.

For instance, I adore Marin Mazzie's performance of Mother's songs, but Christiane Noll 'is' Mother at the KC. Mother becomes a new person through the course of the show, and Christiane acts and sings Mother's journey with intense beauty. Many examples of outstanding characterisations have been posted -- amazing individual and ensemble effort all around.

And then there is the incredible direction of Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Think the ending of "New Music" when Sarah comes to Coalhouse and then again when Coalhouse comes to Sarah at the beginning of "Till We Reach That Day"! Dottie, take note tonight, one might be tempted to take in only the musical performance of "Till We Reach That Day". From the moment Coalhouse enters center stage, the scene plays out in elegant, heartbreaking beauty.

I'm not one to see a performance twice. This season I've done it for two shows -- "Next to Normal" at Arena and now "Ragtime".
Good luck for a life beyond DC.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 12:33pm

"Dottie, take note tonight, one might be tempted to take in only the musical performance of "Till We Reach That Day".

DANLOW - not sure what you mean by that.

I totally agree, Christiane Noll "is" Mother. I happen to like Jennlee Shallow's voice, but I'm kind of surprised they didn't have her do the "LaChanze" harmonies in "Wheel's of a Dream" which I feel would have been a better fit for her voice.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 2:09pm

From the first performance, I thought Jennlee's voice reminded me of Heather Headley. Not an imititation, more like an accent. They both tend to sing with wide-mouthed vowels.

I'll be tonight for one last time. I hope there's a life for this production beyond the Kennedy Center. Every time I've seen it, I find something new to love. I hate that it has to end tonight.

Updated On: 5/17/09 at 02:09 PM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 4:24pm

It's definitely her vowels. She also really only sang in one dynamic... loud.

[kec]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 5:38pm

"I hate that it has to end tonight."

Me too, only because I would love to see it again, and I can't.

[RagtimeRay]

Posted: 5/17/09 at 7:53pm

The second Act of RAGTIME could be pretty dismal is the focus was entirely on Coalhouse's revenge. The counterpoint of songs like the baseball number, Atlantic City, and Buffalo Nickel help lighten the mood, but just because these numbers are upbeat doesn't mean they aren't important to furthering the plot and/or characterizations. The baseball scene is the beginning of Father's recognition that the world he has known (and felt so secure in) has changed - How else does he make the transition from a man who wouldn't shake Matthew Henson's hand on Perry's ship to being able to shake hands with Coalhouse Walker Junior.

Atlantic City is, in part, about escaping from the challenges of the world. But in the end there is no escape.