(I’m sure you recognize the play on words.) Tateh’s entrepreneurial spirit propels him to reinvent himself as a director of silent films and is known now by a new name –Baron Ashkenazy. (Spoiler alert!) By Act Two, Tateh has created a better life for his family and is accepted as American. Coalhouse purchases a Model T and believes that his son’s future will be filled with possibility and justice.
Tateh and Coalhouse also represent forward-thinking, imagination and hope. The other two paternal characters – Coalhouse and Tateh – have more social graces and kindness than the affluent and wealthy Father. However, he is as cold and distant as his would-be destination. One character, known only as Father and played by Mauro Hantman, is a wealthy white man headed on an expedition to the North Pole. Tateh, portrayed by Charlie Thurston, is the quintessential immigrant who struggles for stability and meaning. He tries to make a living selling silhouette cut-outs on the street corner while caring for his young daughter. Speaking of Jewish, one of the main characters is a Jewish immigrant named Tateh (whose name in Yiddish means “daddy” or “papa”). In addition to lively jazz tunes, throughout the musical you will also hear narrative ballads (“Your Daddy’s Son”), whimsical songs (“What a Game!”) and folksy Jewish melodies (“A Shtetl Iz Amereke”). What unfolds in their subplot will stir something within you, as it is meant to do. He is aptly cast and complements Mia Ellis, who plays Coalhouse’s love interest, Sarah. Ferguson has a soft but strong voice, and his charm is intoxicating. Ferguson, a classically trained pianist, portrays Coalhouse Walker Jr., an African-American pianist and one of the core characters of the musical. This style is evident in the toe-tapping tune “Gettin’ Ready Rag” performed by by Wilkie Ferguson III. Coined to describe the syncopated or “ragged” melodic line, ragtime was an early version of jazz characterized by jaunty rhythms. “The musical's themes – racism, sexism, poverty and the impact of immigration on our national character – feel as relevant today as they must have felt more than a century ago." Temple Beth-El hosted a “Context & Conversation” event on May 10, which looked at the musical “Ragtime” through the lens of Trinity’s 2017-18 seasonal theme, “The American Dream, Then and Now.”Įven if you missed that conversation, you will not want to miss “Ragtime.” The musical opens up with a simple but haunting piano strain that will cling to you the entire show. “Although the musical takes place in 1906, one can't help escape the feeling that we are watching a glimpse of our society today,” said Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman of Temple Beth-El in Providence. Costumes are contemporary but embellished with period accessories, thus reinforcing the musical’s modern-day relevancy. Musicians and the Foley artist (person responsible for sound effects) are visible. The stage is stark, and props are minimal. A cast of only 16 Trinity Rep actors bring early 20th century America to life. If you are expecting a splashy Broadway production, think again. In fact, by the time the audience breaks for intermission, patrons will surely be rallying for social justice and radical change.
The lobby is set up with informational displays to encourage theater-goers to become involved in activism. To emphasize this, Trinity partnered with 30 other nonprofit organizations involved with notable causes. Trinity Rep not only chose this production because of its present-day relevance they hoped it would be a call to action. In other words, the very same issues that we confront in America today.”
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“It is a tale of the most important and most dramatic struggles in the American experience: the struggles of women to be seen, of immigrants to find their place in a new land, of African Americans to get the full protection and process of the law, and of workers who suffer to line the pockets of the rich. “ ‘Ragtime’ is important to witness today because of its central themes,” said Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep’s artistic director and director of this production. The families encounter episodic discrimination, hardship, despair and hope as their stories unfold and intersect. Doctorow, “Ragtime” chronicles three families in New York City – an upper-class white family, an African-American couple and an Eastern European Jewish immigrant and his daughter.
In 1996, the famed Broadway trio of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens joined forces to create the book, music and lyrics (respectively) for the musical “Ragtime.” Based on the 1975 fictional novel by E.L.