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Ragtime

Presented by Playhouse on the Square at Playhouse on the Square

May 6-May 29, 2011

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At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing…and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting pot of New York at the beginning of the 20th century, RAGTIME weaves together three distinctly American tales – that of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young Harlem musician – united by their courage, compassion and belief in the promises of the future. “The kind of musical that brings audiences to their knees in adoration.” – New York Times.

• At-a-
  Glance

  • Venue Info

    Playhouse on the Square

    66 South Cooper
    Memphis, TN 38104

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets:

    $38 - Adults $20 - Students, Seniors, Military $15 - Children $20 - All Tickets Opening Weekend

    Info Phone: 901-726-4656

    Email

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  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    May 6-May 29, 2011

    Times:
    

    Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00pm

  • Accessibility Info

    

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  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Ragtime
      "Ragtime: The Musical at Playhouse on The Square"
      Comment posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, May 06, 2011
      

      Let’s begin this review before the show ends. The performance I attended was Opening Night Minus One. Even before the last strains of the musical finale are heard the audience is on its feet in... Expand

      Let’s begin this review before the show ends. The performance I attended was Opening Night Minus One. Even before the last strains of the musical finale are heard the audience is on its feet in spontaneous ovation of a kind rarely seen in Memphis theatre, a fitting tribute to a cast of dancers and singers - especially the big baritone and the little soprano - who have held sway during a ninety minute first act and forty-five minute Act II that you’ll wish might not end. It is a gorgeous spectacle that seasoned director Dave Landis and expert choreographer Jay Rapp pack full of entertainment and with the help of their versatile cast members make it look easy. It is anything but easy, enhanced by John Horan‘s understated but highly effective lighting and Rory Dale‘s clever video projections, and the continuing pleasures of Rebekah Powell’s always perfect and ravishing costumes. (For example, Laura Stracko as Evelyn Nesbit, flamboyantly costumed and bouffant wigged, is barely recognizable until she belts out her first number, “The Crime of The Century.” That’s when Playhouse regulars recognize the magnificently animated little soprano.) The show focuses on three families whose intersecting lives are influenced by the Ragtime era's social challenges and challengers. The story is a convergence of real and historical figures, and the musical is likewise a convergence of the talents of the tightly meshed creative team and cast. The show gets off to a truly rousing start with a full-bodied prologue that introduces all the human and musical elements of the changing American landscape. If one could buy special discount, standing room tickets for just one drop-dead scene, I would go back to see this opening number several more times. Through the Little Boy (Luca Conto) are introduced to his family and their neighbors clad in white linen and living the good life in the upper-middle class WASP splendor of New Rochelle, in 1902. As we are told "there were no Negroes" just such a group moves forward and joins this still melting pot. No sooner do we hear "there were no immigrants" than the music begins to pulse with the sound that identifies the Eastern European immigrants who join in dance. Then come to stage the actors playing Harry Houdini (Nick Echols), Evelyn Nesbitt, J.P. Morgan (Parker Dinwiddie), Henry Ford (Josh Bernaski) Booker T. Washington (TeKay) and Emma Goldman (Irene Crist). As they take their places on the bleacher/steps set you have about forty-something people singing the show's rousing music (in the intimate surroundings of POTS it sounds almost like a “cast of thousands”). It's hard to top an opening like this yet Ragtime continues on the high road of excellence, moving the action forward through narration by the character at the center of the action Colehouse Walker, Jr. played and flawlessly sung by Jarrad Baker, the big baritone. Mr. Baker invests the part with enormous magnetism and he has a voice that melts in your ear -- Coalhouse is just one colorful scrap of humanity caught up in the rhythm of the period identified by the new music known as Ragtime. As good as Jarrad Baker is, he is, like his character, part of the larger picture -- a standout in a cast of standout performances. To name just a few: Claire D,. Kolheim as Sarah and Carla Hampton as Mother are fine actresses with powerful voices. Sarah's duet with Coalhouse, "Wheels of a Dream," is one of the evening's several showstoppers, reprised in the last scene leading into the huge finale. Less showy, but perhaps even more outstanding, is Mother and Tateh's (Michael Detroit) duet "Nothing Like the City" during their first meeting. It is an understated gem. And so too soon comes the finale, and the standing audience’s appreciation and approval rising in decibel as each character takes the bow. Jarrad Baker steps out center stage to the loudest accolades and shouts of “Bravo” a crescendo well-deserved of applause lasting until well after he and the other cast members have left the stage. Note to director Landis: The only improvement for this fine production could be an encore or two. Bravo! Collapse

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    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Ragtime
      "Ragtime: The Musical at Playhouse on The Square"
      Comment posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, May 06, 2011
      

      Let’s begin this review before the show ends. The performance I attended was Opening Night Minus One. Even before the last strains of the musical finale are heard the audience is on its feet in... Expand

      Let’s begin this review before the show ends. The performance I attended was Opening Night Minus One. Even before the last strains of the musical finale are heard the audience is on its feet in spontaneous ovation of a kind rarely seen in Memphis theatre, a fitting tribute to a cast of dancers and singers - especially the big baritone and the little soprano - who have held sway during a ninety minute first act and forty-five minute Act II that you’ll wish might not end. It is a gorgeous spectacle that seasoned director Dave Landis and expert choreographer Jay Rapp pack full of entertainment and with the help of their versatile cast members make it look easy. It is anything but easy, enhanced by John Horan‘s understated but highly effective lighting and Rory Dale‘s clever video projections, and the continuing pleasures of Rebekah Powell’s always perfect and ravishing costumes. (For example, Laura Stracko as Evelyn Nesbit, flamboyantly costumed and bouffant wigged, is barely recognizable until she belts out her first number, “The Crime of The Century.” That’s when Playhouse regulars recognize the magnificently animated little soprano.) The show focuses on three families whose intersecting lives are influenced by the Ragtime era's social challenges and challengers. The story is a convergence of real and historical figures, and the musical is likewise a convergence of the talents of the tightly meshed creative team and cast. The show gets off to a truly rousing start with a full-bodied prologue that introduces all the human and musical elements of the changing American landscape. If one could buy special discount, standing room tickets for just one drop-dead scene, I would go back to see this opening number several more times. Through the Little Boy (Luca Conto) are introduced to his family and their neighbors clad in white linen and living the good life in the upper-middle class WASP splendor of New Rochelle, in 1902. As we are told "there were no Negroes" just such a group moves forward and joins this still melting pot. No sooner do we hear "there were no immigrants" than the music begins to pulse with the sound that identifies the Eastern European immigrants who join in dance. Then come to stage the actors playing Harry Houdini (Nick Echols), Evelyn Nesbitt, J.P. Morgan (Parker Dinwiddie), Henry Ford (Josh Bernaski) Booker T. Washington (TeKay) and Emma Goldman (Irene Crist). As they take their places on the bleacher/steps set you have about forty-something people singing the show's rousing music (in the intimate surroundings of POTS it sounds almost like a “cast of thousands”). It's hard to top an opening like this yet Ragtime continues on the high road of excellence, moving the action forward through narration by the character at the center of the action Colehouse Walker, Jr. played and flawlessly sung by Jarrad Baker, the big baritone. Mr. Baker invests the part with enormous magnetism and he has a voice that melts in your ear -- Coalhouse is just one colorful scrap of humanity caught up in the rhythm of the period identified by the new music known as Ragtime. As good as Jarrad Baker is, he is, like his character, part of the larger picture -- a standout in a cast of standout performances. To name just a few: Claire D,. Kolheim as Sarah and Carla Hampton as Mother are fine actresses with powerful voices. Sarah's duet with Coalhouse, "Wheels of a Dream," is one of the evening's several showstoppers, reprised in the last scene leading into the huge finale. Less showy, but perhaps even more outstanding, is Mother and Tateh's (Michael Detroit) duet "Nothing Like the City" during their first meeting. It is an understated gem. And so too soon comes the finale, and the standing audience’s appreciation and approval rising in decibel as each character takes the bow. Jarrad Baker steps out center stage to the loudest accolades and shouts of “Bravo” a crescendo well-deserved of applause lasting until well after he and the other cast members have left the stage. Note to director Landis: The only improvement for this fine production could be an encore or two. Bravo! Collapse

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