ragtime

RAGTIME book by Terence McNally, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

At the Charing Cross Theatre.

The Charing Cross Theatre group of great creatives bring another triumphant revival to its hallowed stage. In the Spring we had the truly amazing ‘Titanic’ and now here comes ‘Ragtime’ a powerful story of real life.

The plot is derived by Terence McNally from E L Doctorow’s novel in which he places fictional characters in real life historical situations and has been transformed into a superlative musical by Terence McNally. We are in early twentieth century America. Unwelcome immigrants, brutal gun toting policemen, and racial violence are all played against the background of sometimes soaring, often toe tapping Ragtime music ‘Ragtime asks us to listen to the music of our lives’ it says in the programme. Stephen Flaherty has achieved a stunning score with intelligent lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

This show is acted and played by actor/musicians. This can often be really annoying, but somehow the director Thom Southerland has managed to make it seem quite natural and even historical characters manage to fit in some instrumental expertise. J.P Morgan plays the Ukulele and Henry Ford the Harmonica? This sounds frivolous, but they are three very serious stories.

Three basic but intermingled stories – a White middle class family with a loving, caring mother beautifully played and sung by Anita Louise Combe, who adopts a deserted mother and her baby. The father is Coalhouse Walker a musician from Harlem, a glamorous figure in a checkered suit played by Ako Mitchell, who is looking for his wife and child. Coalhouse is supposedly the inventor of this syncopated style of music and Ako with MD Jordan Li-Smith, play two pianos carrying most of the score.

The third story concerns a poor Jewish immigrant who makes a living making silhouettes in order to feed and nourish his little daughter. The lives in these stories entwine and come together at the end as each makes their way in the new country.

There are real life historical characters within the show. Appearances by Evelyn Nesbitt (The crime of the century) played by Joanne Hickman – also Cellist, Harry Houdini (The piano accordion) and most significantly, Emma Goldsmith the Russian born, Jewish Anarchist Politician is played powerfully by the very elegant Valerie Cutko.

It is a dense plot, there is a plethora of exciting music and complicated characters – too much to talk about – has to be seen.

 Ragtime music – like Shakespeare’s poetry – is the beat of our hearts. This is a show with heartbeat, heartbreak and supreme elegance.