A Disappointing Ditty

I’m just going to say this: Ragtime is
kind of a silly play.

The musical, based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, aims to
illustrate the interconnected plights of women, workers, African
Americans, and immigrants in New York City at the turn of the century.
There’s a Jewish widower struggling to care for his sickly young
daughter; a white woman forced to make her own decisions when her
husband goes out of town; and a black ragtime musician who falls for
Henry Ford’s populist rhetoric and dares to think he’s entitled to own
his own brand-new Model T (predictably, small-town racists disagree). A
lot of poignant historical circumstances intersect over the course of
the production, and that’s the problem: Ragtime‘s script is
almost immediately done in by its own ambition. The plot is
overstuffed, the songs trite, the politics oversimplified, and the
moral equivalencies facile at best.

Thing is, though, Portland Center Stage (PCS) does tremendous work
here. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a better treatment: Every single
aspect of the production seems geared toward counterbalancing the
script’s overblown elements, with some success. Joel Ferrell’s
choreography is balanced and effective; the set is deceptively simple,
a multi-tiered backdrop that takes on shades of menace or wistfulness
courtesy of Peter Maradudin’s spectacular lighting. The cast is the
best money can buy, and as always, it’s satisfying to note that
standout performances come from a couple of locals: Leif Norby as
Tateh, the bearded Jewish father, and Susannah Mars as the stymied
housewife. There’s even a performance from a little boy (Alex Thede)
that isn’t the theatrical equivalent of chewing on
tinfoil—a rarity among child performers.

As much as the production quality, under Chris Coleman’s sensible
direction, deserves praise, the selection of this play at this moment
in time is equally noteworthy. I may have serious reservations about
the way that history here is spliced, condensed, and soundtracked, but
the fact remains that in the wake of the economic crisis and the health
care debate, more people than ever are contemplating what we talk about
when we talk about the American Dream. PCS should be commended for
staging a production that speaks directly to the world we live
in—even if it does speak in clichés.