Star power: Metropolis' stellar 'Ragtime' cast makes an impression
“Ragtime” - ★ ★ ★ ½
Chicago-area theatergoers may not be familiar with the singer/actors performing in Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's first-rate revival of “Ragtime,” the ever-resonant musical about our gloriously imperfect nation during the early days of the 20th century.
While director Jerrell L. Henderson's talented cast includes a few Chicago veterans, it's also comprised of transplants new to the Chicago scene along with recent college graduates and undergraduate students in their professional debuts. From the rousing opening number to the wistful ballad “New Music” to the cheeky, novelty number “What a Game!” this is perhaps the most vocally impressive Metropolis ensemble I've witnessed in the 16-plus years I've covered the Arlington Heights theater.
That's good news for fans of this beautifully crafted musical, which boasts a memorable, Scott Joplin-inspired score by Stephen Flaherty, revealing lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a smart, insightful book by Terrance McNally.
Adapted from E.L. Doctorow's novel, “Ragtime” is a sprawling, ever-timely tale about citizens confronting their evolving nation and its persistent demons: racial division; mistreatment of immigrants, women and laborers; celebrity obsession; and the impact of unrestrained capitalism. At the same time, the show reminds us that with compassion and tolerance, America can fulfill its promise of democracy, equality, opportunity and freedom.
It's a promise held dear by its characters - European immigrants, African Americans and Caucasians whose lives intersect as they pursue the American dream in 1906 New York. Tateh (a genial Joshua Frink) is an artist from Latvia who arrives with his daughter (Rhea Greer) convinced America will be all he had hoped.
Coalhouse Walker Jr. (elegantly played by Korey White) is a successful ragtime musician in love with Sarah (the winsome Chloe Khaleeah Keira Johnson). Mother (Brennan Martinez, a classically trained Chicago newcomer) is an upper middle-class woman and budding feminist living in New Rochelle with her husband (played with restless naiveté by Connor Murray), a man comfortable in his privilege, their straight-talking son Edgar (Arche Geye), Grandfather (Mark Anderson) and Mother's Younger Brother (Jackson Mikkelsen).
Orbiting around them are historical figures: political activist Emma Goldman (Sarah Sapperstein in an urgent, heartfelt performance); Harry Houdini (Zachary Linnert); Booker T. Washington (Aaron Reese Boseman) and scandal-ridden vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit, played with a sly self-awareness by Kaity Paschetto (more about her later).
The performances are solid throughout. The quietly commanding White possesses a rich baritone that resonates sweetly in his lovely “Sarah Brown Eyes” duet with the winsome Johnson and later rattles the rafters in the anthemic “Make Them Hear You.” Recent graduate Mikkelsen is spot-on as a budding idealist who finds direction when he joins African Americans and Jewish immigrants in their struggle for civil rights. But it was Martinez's exquisite vocals and nuanced acting that made the biggest impression. Unfortunately, Martinez did not return for the second act “due to a health concern,” denying the opening-night audience her performance of Mother's 11 o'clock number “Back to Before.” In her place, skillful understudy Paschetto delivered a full-throated version of the emancipatory ballad. Eleanor Elkovich, a Chicago College of the Performing Arts undergraduate in her professional debut, ably stepped into the role of Evelyn Nesbit.
The action unfolds on a simple yet revealing set by Eric Luchen that reflects America's past and its future. Looming upstage is Mother and Father's home. An imposing estate from a bygone era, it resembles a mausoleum - a visual reminder of moribund traditions that in this new century no longer apply. It is flanked by two sturdy, brick tenements whose scaffolding suggests the ongoing construction of a more inclusive America.
While the wonky lighting design distracted more than it illuminated, it was a hiccup in an otherwise impressive production that ranks among Metropolis' very best.
Location: Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, (847) 577-2121, metropolisarts.com
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through June 4
Running time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, with intermission
Tickets: $45
Parking: Nearby garage and street parking