Sometimes we need to look at others to see ourselves, and stories let us do this. So we take a bit of a journey, albeit safely escorted via narration, but we travel and – hopefully – grow along the way. Sometimes we take a school bus to get there, too.
Yesterday, Bill Ullman, EJSHS’s very own Music and Drama teacher, led a team of current and former and forever Cavos to Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater to see Ragtime. It’s a revival of a musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel that braids historical facts with narrative fiction. There is also a movie version that was released in 1981 starring James Cagney, Howard Rollins, Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, and other famous actors from the time period. The movie soundtrack was composed and conducted by Randy Newman. (Trust me, you know him. He wrote “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story.)
But let’s not dwell on the past – yet.
Before the show, he and fellow theater expert Gloria Bonelli shared their knowledge of The New York Public Library of the Performing Arts where you can hear and watch thousands of recorded performances, and read hundreds of thousands of musical scores and millions of books.
I found a collection of songs from “The Gay ’90s” (meaning the 1890s) to get into the musical mood for Ragtime, and was surprised to see how many songs I already knew – despite my, ahem, youth. You may be familiar with them too: “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)”, “Yankee Doodle (Yankee Doodle Went to Town)”, “Maple Leaf Rag”, and “Oh, You Beautiful Doll”, just to name a few.
Although we were there on a random Wednesday afternoon in July, the space was very busy. It was great to see so many people engrossed in their materials, and to hear the squeals of delight from our own group members as they searched for their favorite plays and musicals in the stacks. It was also a perfect way to stave off standing outside in the heat as we waited for showtime.
Beyond the comprehensive collections, there are also two exhibits currently running at the Library: Mystery and Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City and Martha Graham: The Mother of Psychological Dance. I was immediately drawn to the first because of its colorful posters and focus on all things magic – appropriate because of Harry Houdini’s place in the plot of the story. The amazing artifacts include books, photos, programs, autographs, and even a costume that belonged to a magician’s assistant.
But the real magic happened in the theater.
It’s incredible.
When you sit down to a performance of Ragtime, you’ll be unprepared for how moved you’ll be – even if, like me, you’ve read the book and seen the movie. Maybe it’s because of its timeliness (timelessness?) in a world wracked with upheaval, racism, and xenophobia, maybe it’s because of Joshua Henry’s rich baritone that grabs your soul, and his eyes that shine with tears as he sings of grief, rage, and loss. It could be the way you see relationships between husbands and wives, children and parents, and people and their beliefs change. Whatever it is that draws you in, the musical works its magic on you at a cellular level.
It’s been nominated for eleven Tonys, and has won four, including “Best Revival of a Musical”, and I can see why. Ragtime is an emotional piece that makes you hurt, angry, scared, ashamed, curious, and hopeful.
The name dropping is intense: Booker T. Washington, Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and even the Archduke Franz Ferdinand! It’s almost dizzying when you consider the time period and everything that happened within it: the tenements of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, vile working conditions, strikes, the creation of the Model T and assembly lines, and the sinking of the Lusitania!
How is there room for it all? Well, they’ve actually made space.
The stage is unencumbered by excessive props and sets, so the focus is all on the characters. This is not to say the rolling staircases, suspended frames, and reproduced Model T are anything less than impressive. Not at all. But because the characters dominate the stage, scenes seem more raw and real, and when Sarah clutches her baby, and sings her hurt in “Your Daddy’s Son”, you’re there with her without any distractions besides your (my) tears. When Tateh (Brandon Uranowitz) tenderly holds his daughter close and sings about her skating on the ice in “Gliding”, you’re completely absorbed. It’s just that moment, that feeling. It’s just them.
The acting will make you forget it’s acting. You meet each character via third-person narration delivered by their character, and yet it works. Once they submerge themselves into their roles, you’re right there with them. “Mother” (Caissie Levy) is resplendent in white, but she’s far from sterile or two-dimensional. Her insights are real for a woman on the verge, and her “Back to Before” is absolutely anthemic. “Father” (Ben Davis) goes off on faraway adventures, but is lost at home. You can sense his inner struggle as the world changes around him without his permission. “Grandfather” (Tom Nelis) seems to be comic relief, as well as a reminder of earlier times that were even less woke than the early 1900s.”Younger Brother” (Ben Levi Ross)? Don’t get me started. Kaboom.
That these characters are nameless seems strange at first, but it makes sense later on when you consider that they’re more like archetypes operating within a different set of rules and realities than characters like Sarah, Tateh, and Coalhouse.
Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Joshua Henry) is a powerful role that requires strength, force, and deadly calm in the face of outright racism and hatred. He longs for justice and, when denied, he longs for revenge. You find yourself on his side, even when things escalate, well… And that booming voice! His baritone is absolutely commanding! Listen to “Coalhouse’s Soliloquy” if you don’t believe me.
Sarah’s friend (Allison Blackwell), sings a song that makes me cry just thinking about it. I’m playing “Till We Reach That Day” as I type this. Oh yes, the soundtrack is on my Spotify now.
I’m that obsessed. What gave it away?
The musical has a shorter running time than this article (nearly three hours). There are just so many things to say (all of them good), but the most important is that I urge you to see Ragtime as soon as you can because it’s closing on August 16th.
Sources:
https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/mystery-and-wonder-legacy-golden-age-magicians-new-york-city (The Exhibits’ Names)
https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2018/07/pre-1900s-top-100-songs.html (Complete Music Titles)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082970/fullcredits/ (Ragtime 1981 Movie Cast)
