Ragtime @ Lyric Stage
—Martha Heimberg
Count on Lyric Stage to again bring a Broadway-level musical experience to eager audiences with their stirring production of Ragtime in Concert at the historic Majestic Theatre. Read on, but grab your tickets right away (if not sooner)—the show only runs through February 20th.
From their beginnings in Irving to their more recent move downtown, Lyric Stage has continued to assemble first-rate soloists, singing ensembles and orchestral musicians for their productions. Their fans always expect a great show, and Ragtime, marking the opening of their 28th season after a nearly two-year hiatus, fills the bill—and way more.
In Concert, as the program takes care to explain, means the 19-piece orchestra and 30-member ensemble perform all the music, dialogue, staging and choreography of a traditional production. The only difference is the absence of sets, scenery and period costumes. Here, the gilded Majestic lobby and red-curtained stage are setting enough for this musical based on E. L. Doctorow’s 1975 historical novel set in turn-of-the-century New York.
Ragtime: the Musical, with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, premiered on Broadway in 1998, and won two Tonys for the glorious songs and ambitious narrative. This modern operetta tells three stories, those of a Harlem musician (reticent, powerful Christion Draper), a wealthy New Rochelle housewife (commanding Mary Gilbreath Grim in barely closeted feminist mode), and a Latvian Jewish immigrant father (terrific tenor Christopher J. Deaton delivers an unfailing Yiddish accent), all crossing paths in fabled melting pot style. They also meet up with Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington and other real historical characters in a joyful, violent, poignant, messy—but always resilient—depiction of the American experience.
Director Feleceia Benton Wilson keeps the three-hour show engaging and the complicated plot lines sorted with her tight, multilevel staging and the help of Scott Guenther’s focused, mood-setting lighting design. The superb orchestra, directed by Sheilah Vaughan Walker, fills the middle of the stage, with Associate Musical Director Vonda K. Bowling on piano, playing the haunting “new” ragtime music that reflects the alluring, singular spirit of the times.
Kelly McCain’s inventive swing-dance choreography energizes the show from the big ensemble opening number to the closing reprise of “Wheels of a Dream,” a gorgeous song about fresh hope overcoming violence and doubt that feels especially uplifting in our own scary times.
And everybody’s so good! Still, a couple of special shout-outs are in order. Jaden Dominique, a resounding soprano with star-quality ease and grace, is musical dynamite in “Your Daddy’s Son,” her song about the agony of a poor young black mother deserted by her lover. She and powerful baritone Draper heat up the stage later in their duets, making clear this beautiful lady is his lifetime musical muse, as written and performed.
Grim belts out an expressive “Goodbye, My Love” and “Back to Before,” making us feel the reality of a shattered marriage. Deaton’s struggling Jewish immigrant is strongest in scenes with his little daughter (perky Allison Arroyo on the night we reviewed; she alternates with Megan Arroyo). He ties her to his own wrist, so she won’t go astray in the big city. His rendition of “Gliding,” sung to cheer the child up, builds in tenderness and charm until he convinces us all that a happy ending is just around the corner.
It’s a pity this stunning and poignant production is only up through February 20th. Time’s running out!
WHEN: Through February 20
WHERE: Majestic Theatre, Downtown Dallas
WEB: For tickets, visit TicketDFW or call 214-871-5000
