Review: RAGTIME Soars at City Springs Theatre Company

City Springs Theatre Company has returned in its seventh season with a production of Ragtime. Directed and choreographed by Todd L. Underwood, this production is a revelation.

Ragtime is about three groups of people in the United States in the early 1900s. Met in order, you have the affluent white community in a New York suburb, African American musicians in Harlem, and Eastern European immigrants arriving in America for the first time. We meet them quickly and are introduced to their hardships throughout the first act, and act two pulls it all (mostly) together through a common point of strife. The musical is based on the book (of the same name) by E.L. Doctorow (published in 1975).

Ragtime first debuted in Toronto in 1996, but has the hallmarks of those “classic” musicals like WEST SIDE STORY or EVITA. The musical is front loaded with exposition. At times, it felt like there was so much going on that nothing was happening. Like when five or six people are trying to tell you their own story at once, but they can only fit in a few sentences at a time before they get cut off. 

Beyond that, there were moments where characters broke the fourth wall to speak to the audience, almost in a narrator capacity. Since I’m unfamiliar with RAGTIME, I can’t speak to whether this is a common practice. It resulted in characters referring to themselves in the third person, which took a bit longer to catch on to.

These notes should not detract from CSTC’s production of RAGTIME as they did it beautifully. From top to bottom, cast leads to every member of the ensemble, you were transported to New York in the early 20th century. 

Jonathan Christopher (Coalhouse Walker Jr) stole the show. He played that role with his whole heart, bringing tears to my eyes watching him love and mourn Sarah, played by Kyla Bolling. Their harmonies and emotion in “Wheels of a Dream” created such a poignant moment that it will stay with me for a while. The last we hear from Walker Jr is in “Make Them Hear You” which is profound both of the time period of the musical as well as present day. 

Kristine Reese (Mother) had such a beautiful character arc. She is the common thread amongst the three groups of people. She absolutely shone in “What Kind of Woman” as she moved into this character of a woman to be admired. In the early 1900s, it was uncommon for a woman to have her own voice, so hearing “Back to Before” left me speechless. Reese was both powerful and effortless, while exuding a softness necessary to the role. 

Jordan Sam Rich (Tateh) is purely lovable in his role as a single father. He is artistic and driven, but everything is driven by his love for his daughter (Haley Byrd as Little Girl). You saw this the most through his interactions with Mother in the second act. He’s become a successful man, but still looks to make his daughter happy.

The cast of this production of RAGTIME was so large and included so many moments from each member of the cast. Grace Arnold Hogan (Evelyn Nesbitt) provided moments of levity in otherwise heavy material. Megan K. Hill (Emma Goldman) had strong one-liners, pulling in historical moments to the show. Monté J. Howell (Booker T. Washington) brought in sanity and class to emotionally charged moments. 

If I could have one song or scene on repeat, it would be “Till We Reach That Day”. Theatrically, it reminded me of “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” from RENT. The song is led by Latrice Pace as Sarah’s Friend. You’re seeing these communities of people mourn the loss of Sarah, and is truly the turning point in the musical. Younger Brother (Corey Bryant) learns what he stands for. Coalhouse begins his vendetta. It starts the emotion that carries the second act.

At first glance, the set design (Jacob Olson) looked like it had been cobbled together from other shows CSTC has done. While that may not be an incorrect assumption, it was actually genius. Olson blended the aesthetics of these three different groups of people into one cohesive set. With the exception of a few “accent” pieces, the set was the same throughout the production. Putting a grand white staircase that blends into the rougher hewn stairs common in attic or “help” dwellings or the rail of a ship. It meant that the set itself was part of the story.

Ragtime is a musical that debuted in the 1990s, written about the early 1900s, that’s still relevant today. CSTC has created something moving and beautiful that is a must-see this spring. 

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