Review: STAGES St. Louis Production of RAGTIME is Beautifully Staged

RAGTIME, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, opened on Broadway in 1998. The original production ran for 834 performances and closed just two-days shy of its two-year anniversary. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, RAGTIME was the most nominated show of the Broadway season, winning four, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Audra McDonald’s third Tony win.) 

1998 was the year that Disney’s The Lion King won Best Musical and five other Tony awards. Composers Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens bested the writing team of Elton John and Tim Rice for their sweeping and epic score featuring the titular opening number, the optimistically emotional ‘Wheels of a Dream” and the anthemic “Make Them Hear You.” Appreciation for the complexity and beauty of Ahrens and Flaherty’s score continues to grow as the musical ages. 

Terrence McNally’s Tony award winning book, set in the early 1900’s, takes on the themes of class divide, racial injustice, and immigration. The fictional story looks at families from three different racial and socio-economic backgrounds and the impact individuals can have on the lives of one another. It is a story about dreamers, their pursuit of success, and the American dream. While it is a dawn-of-the-century period piece, many of the topics remain relevant over a century later. 

Director Deidre Goodwin has built a beautiful production of RAGTIME focusing on the strength of the theatrical asset, Ahrens and Flaherty’s splendid score. Music Director and Conductor E. Reneé Gamez’s proficiency with the orchestrations and vocal arrangements fully embraces the complexity and depth of the expansive composition. Gamez’s collaboration with Goodwin, and their work with the orchestra and cast created euphonious sound. 

The cast is led by the omnipresent performances of Tamar Greene (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.) and Shereen Pimentel (Sarah.) Greene and Pimentel’s magnetic chemistry and rich vocals set the standard for this talented cast. Greene’s controlled performance perfectly captures the rage of the dreamer turned vigilante as his world is torn from him through acts of racial injustice. Pimentel’s vocal acrobatics produces soaring and majestic vocals. Their goosebump and tear inducing performance of “Wheels of a Dream” created an inspired musical moment. 

Marissa McGowan (Mother) and Lindsay Roberts Greene (Sarah’s Friend) deliver equally virtuosic singing and acting performances. McGowan’s strong resolve as Mother, challenging her husband’s societal views, is expressed through the authenticity of her portrayal. Some of the most pleasing arrangements in the score are written for Mother and her delivery of “Goodbye My Love,” “What Kind of Woman,” and “Back to Before” were auditory gems laden with musicality. Lindsay Roberts Greene’s powerful solo work on “Till We Reach that Day” was packed with emotion and illustrated how a skilled artist can turn a few featured moments on stage into an indelible audience memory.  

St. Louisian Matthew Cox (Mother’s Younger Brother) continues to impress with another stellar performance. His work as Mother’s Younger Brother was transformative. His portrayal demonstrated the character’s strength and resolve battling against unfair injustice. His was the most authentic and genuine performance in the production, with a resonant vocal performance equaling the sonorous singing of his more experience cast mates. 

Young Kyle Homes (The Little Boy) showed immeasurable stage presence in his professional debut. His natural comfortability on stage was impressive. It’s a tall order for a young actor to stand alone on stage and have the opening lines of a big production and he delivered with professional confidence. He and Zoe Klevorn (the Little Girl) both delivered memorable performances that exceeded their years of experience.  

Klevorn had a warm connection with Brian Golub (Tateh) as the Jewish father and daughter immigrating to the U.S. from Eastern Europe. Golub’s performance as the protective father looking for a better life was touching. He, like Coalhouse Walker, Jr., had a vision of the American dream. Golub’s quieter and understated portrayal made his line delivery and vocals hard to hear, especially in the first act.  

This was the largest production ever staged in the nearly 40-year history of STAGES St. Louis. For the second production in a row the sound quality proved to be a difficulty for a larger cast. Some actors’ microphones weren’t hot when they started speaking or singing. Others were difficult to hear for lengthier periods of time. It is hard to assess if it is a sound design issue or limitations of the audio system in the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, but it is something that must be addressed.  

The small sound distraction did not diminish the overall opulence of this high-quality production of RAGTIME. Brad Musgrove’s sophisticated costume designs were breathtaking. The period appropriate costumes were impeccably tailored. The impressive white, ecru, and tan gowns and suits for the New Rochelle elite created a striking silhouette in the opening number. The women’s extravagant hats visually stunned, as did his costumes through the entire production. His consistently exceptional work illustrates one of the many reasons why St. Louis theater continues to grow in national admiration. 

Robert Mark Morgan’s minimalistic scenic design allowed Goodwin and choreographer Michelle Potterf to use the full depth of the KPAC stage. Morgan’s designs, especially the J.P. Morgan library, impressed in grand fashion despite its simplicity. His layered proscenium was illuminated by Sean M. Savoie’s colorful lighting design. Savoie showed his proficiency at lighting a stage with minimal set pieces while still enhancing the storytelling. 

STAGES St. Louis production of RAGTIME is exquisite and an important piece of Americana. The symphonic quality of the Ahrens and Flaherty score has many beautiful sections and the relevance of the story is timeless. The slowly unfolding narrative is told nicely through Goodwin’s focused direction, the competent performances of the accomplished cast, the gifted musical direction and accompaniment, and the polished work of the technical theater professionals.

RAGTIME does not reach the grand heights of the other epic musicals that have become a global phenomenon, but it is certainly monumental in its storytelling and deserves to be seen, especially this beautifully staged production at STAGES St. Louis.  

RAGTIME continues through October 20th in the Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Click the link below to purchase tickets.  

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