TOM TITUS -- Theater Review

History is being written -- or rather, rewritten -- at the Orange

County Performing Arts Center, where fiction and reality coalesce into a

powerful and riveting musical fable called “Ragtime.”

It’s not difficult to ascertain that this strikingly ambitious musical

drama was based on a novel -- E.L. Doctorow’s massive 1975 work focusing

on three significant classes of people in the early years of the 20th

century.

Plots and subplots abound, with the rich and famous of the period

interacting with Doctorow’s fictional characters to define a period that

altered American society forever.

The three factions are the upper-class whites, the upwardly mobile

Negroes (as they were known then) and the dirt-poor immigrants who are

ascending the ladder of the American dream rung by torturous rung. And

they all are in high voice, lifting the strains of the Stephen

Flaherty-Lynn Ahrens score to the rafters.

Not since “Les Miserables” more than a decade ago has a musical

possessed such power to move and involve an audience. What begins as a

lighthearted piece set shortly after the turn of the last century

gradually becomes an immensely powerful drama as the three forces collide

repeatedly in visceral fury, accompanied by the lilting strains of Scott

Joplin-style music.

At the center of the tumultuous saga, and the fulcrum around whom

“Ragtime” turns, is Coalhouse Walker Jr., an intense young black musician

thrust into tragic confrontation with the reigning elements of society.

As portrayed by Lawrence Hamilton, he is a picture of uncompromising

pride and vengeance, forcing the hand of authority in his single-minded

quest for justice.

Establishment figures -- represented by a white New Rochelle, N.Y.,

family and, ultimately, by a struggling Jewish silhouette artist who

carves out his own piece of American pie -- become involved in

Coalhouse’s mission, creating a sweeping panorama of musical drama.

Doctorow’s novel, adapted for the stage by noted playwright Terrence

McNally, is a vibrant, often chillng exercise, not to mention a rich

refresher course in American history.

Serving as background figures to the fictional drama are several

important personages of the early century -- Henry Ford, Harry Houdini,

J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington and Emma Goldman, the

latter pair taking on pivotal roles.

Joining Hamilton center stage are the white family members --

identified only by their familial positions. The Mother (Cathy Wydner)

alters the family’s course by virtually adopting an abandoned black child

and his mother (Lovena Fox), while the Father (Stephen Zinnato) finds his

world turned upside down after returning from an adventuresome trek with

Admiral Robert Peary to the North Pole. Father’s emotional chafing

provides a steely subplot.

Soon we learn that the infant’s father is Coalhouse Walker, and his

efforts to reunite his family sparks the conflict that turns “Ragtime”

from a picturesque musical into a searing historical drama.

Meanwhile, dirt-poor Jewish immigrant Tateh (Jim Corti) is struggling

to scratch out a living for himself and his precious little girl (Remy

Zaken), and Northern redneck Al Bundonis provides a heap of trouble for

the initially restrained Coalhouse. Washington (Leon Williams) strives

mightily to avert certain disaster.

Precocious child Ricky Ashley, youngest of the Caucasian family, has

some sort of supernatural gift -- he prophesies trouble for Coalhouse and

eerily forecasts the incident which triggered World War I.

Sam Samuelson, his uncle, trades his class comfort for social

disruption as he joins the strident Emma Goldman (Mary Gutzi) in labor

unrest and later enlists himself with the hunted Coalhouse.

Musically, the ensemble generally carries the day, yet there are

spirited solos from Wydner (“Back to Before”) and Hamilton (“Make Them

Hear You”) which are positively electric.

The exceptional musical score benefits from the orchestrations of

William David Brohn, as well as from Frank Galati’s overall superior

direction and Graciele Daniele’s sprightly choreography.

Altogether, “Ragtime” is an immensely powerful show, early century

history set to some soul-stirring music. It’s a socially significant show

that deserves much more stage time than the additional week’s run it’s

been afforded at the Center.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

WHAT: “Ragtime”

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

WHEN: Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.,

Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. until Sept. 24.

TICKETS: $28.50-$62.50

PHONE: (714) 740-7878