Who actually saw RAGTIME? — Page 2

I saw it with LaChanze as Sarah. I loved it so much... I really wish it had run longer. Maybe a revival in a few years?

I definitely think we'll see this show revived in the next 10-15 years.

But I hope and pray that they put it in a MUCH smaller theatre, so that the story (not the spectacle) is the star.

And they should concentrate on finding appropriate actor/singers for these parts that will tear your heart out, and not make it a Diva-fest of one upstaging moment after another. The key word here would be "ENSEMBLE" of actors.

If they keep it small(er) and keep it real, this show is pure magic.

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Updated On: 12/10/06 at 01:39 PM

I may be in the minority on this, but I actually think that an appropriate amount of spectacle really adds to this show. True, the story should be the star rather the spectacular production aspects, but isn't the story, in some sense, about the spectacle of the changing early-twentieth century world? I really enjoyed seeing that portrayed, and I'm not crazy about the minimalistic productions of recent years. Perhaps the ideal solution for a revival would be a happy medium between the two.

Thanks for that b12b. Very interesting. I would have loved to have seen LaChanze in the role.

They actually did a professional production of it in Boston last year. I didn't get to see it, but I was told that they used minimal sets and played it a theater of only about 400 seats, and apprently it was extremely effective. The story was brought to the forefront.

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i saw it on broadway and then again at papermill a few years back - i remember being totally blown away - by the story, the music, and the cast, especially brian stokes mitchell and audra mcdonald - i still get shivers when i listen to the recording

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Were the differences between LaChanze and Audra in the acting or the singing? When comparing Wheels Of A Dream in the Toronto CD and the Broadway CD you can tell that Audra is over-belting Sarah's lines and it really throws off the balance between her and Stokes. I don't recall who the actor was, but the man who played Coalhouse at the Paper Mill Playouse was amazing, maybe even better than Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Did anyone ever see Heather Headley go on as Sarah? Did she ever go on as Sarah?

EDIT: I meant to say you "can" tell.

Updated On: 12/10/06 at 03:24 PM

A quick clarification... There SHOULD be some spectacle to any production of Ragtime, and there is a "pageant" aspect to its telling that is very important... it was part of the original book too... but it shouldn't overwhelm the characters in it. Since the sets, costumes and staging were all identical between the LA and NY productions, I place the fault on the size of the Ford Theatre on Broadway (both the house and the stage itself) for dwarfing the story to some degree, and the people in it.

The differences between LaChanze and Audra:

I've said this before on other threads, but as amazingly talented as I think Audra is, she opens her mouth and out pops "Julliard" every single time. Sarah is a simple, poor girl. Her acting was "too much" as well. Sarah isn't Lady Macbeth or Hamlet. She just needs to be true to the emotions and not wipe up the floor with them. She gave a tour-de-force performance in a role that didn't need one. And as a result she overshadowed and upstaged Coalhouse's story, and even overwhelmed Mother's story as well. That was not her fault, but the director (Frank Gilati) should have worked to rein her in for the benefit of the whole show, rather than let her run off to the Tony podium alone.

LaChanze broke my heart as Sarah. Her acting and her singing was spot on. I also preferred her earthy, hugely powerful belting of the material to Audra's cultured "mixed" voice.

Basically, Audra acted the part of Sarah brilliantly.

LaChanze WAS Sarah.

Big difference.

I will add that the only disappointment for me in a major role in the L.A. cast was Mother (Marcia Mitzman Gavin). Her acting was better than Marin's because it was more controlled. Marin always seemed to be on the verge of either tears or insanity with each line reading. Marcia's transformation from dutiful wife to free thinker was more gradual and WAY more believable.

But Marcia's voice is/was NO MATCH for Marin's. She sang the part fine enough, but Marin blew me away (as usual) and put her mark on the part (for me) forever.

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Updated On: 12/10/06 at 03:55 PM

I saw it in LA twice, once with Brian Stokes Mitchell and once after he left. Both times were amazing (though Brian Stokes Mitchell was definitely better than his replacement). I love the show and it would be great if it came back.

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One question- wasn't this also shown on PBS( like
"Light in the Piazza" or am I losing what little mind I have left? Does anyone know if it is available anywhere?

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I saw Ragtime several times, once in LA, once in New York with the OBC, once in New York with several replacements, and in 3-4 regional and semi-professional productions.

I have to agree with b12b's comments about LaChanze and Audra. Audra was a force to behold, but Sarah is a part that doesn't call for it, and her performance really did overshadow several other story lines.

And having seen the show in various spaces I would agree that it benefits from a more intimate setting and a slight scaling down. Livent's production on Broadway was too big and too expensive to cover week to week. It would have had to run at capacity for years to break even.

That having been said, I do enjoy it and would gladly sit through a dozen more productions.

Not only did I see it on Broadway, I was at the first opening in Toronto exactly 10 years ago.

Little has come along since to eclipse RAGTIME. It would be my choice as the best musical of the 1990s.

It was not economically produced and it seems quite a bit of money was being filtered into Garth Drabinsky's pockets each week making the "nut" too high to sustain a run at less than sell-out business.

Fortunately it it being discovered and staged by community/regional theatre companies, and finding new and appreciative audiences.

The Toronto opening was a night of goosebumps and tears. The music had an emotional force rarely heard in today's theatre, and the book by Terrence McNally kept focused on the characters and their stories. I have seen subsequent productions on tour and in community theatres that were far less elaborate but still powerful. The heart of it is in the story-telling. Great plays/musicals are only enhanced by spectacle. A really good show should not require it to succeed.

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Updated On: 3/17/13 at 08:11 PM

What was the seating capacity at Shubert?

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truly an epic show. Saw the original cast and was uniformly impressed throughout. Some of the criticism of being "too produced" was evidant in the show, but not from the performances or quality of the material. Will we ever see it's kind again? should've had a much longer run.