I remember at that time my first radio show on WBFO was all about piano music “From Rags to Rondos.” So, trust me, I’m a fan. Unlike some, I found the surprisingly small orchestra (two pianos, one percussionist) led by Theresa Quinn to be more than adequate, especially since so much of the music is “piano rags” which had a very strong revival in the 1970s. Choreographer Michael Walline said the idea was to be “like turning the pages of a book.” Would that other Western New York theaters took a page from Mr. And, this might not sound like much, but it was a telling detail: Every set change (with set elements on casters) was choreographed so that the action never stopped. MusicalFare sets by Chris Cavanagh are always smart, but in RAGTIME things were more ingeniously arranged than usual including the backstage photo projections which added a level of realism while filling the stage up without taking any valuable real estate away from the actors. Kudos to Dialect Coach Amanda Sharpe, who came up with believable accents which stayed consistent throughout the evening. And, hey, we’re all willing to suspend our disbelief in other ways, so I don’t think that accents are all that important. In general, I’m not a fan of local actors taking on accents because it’s just another damn thing that can go wrong. At all.Īnd kudos to Dialect Coach Amanda Sharpe, who came up with believable accents which stayed consistent throughout the evening. There are no weak points in the casting, at all. Brown, Taylor Carlson, Charmagne Chi, Adam Eckmair, Bennett Goldberg, Jake Hayes, Stevie Jackson, Dominique Kempf, Jon May, Ricky Needham, Lorenzo Shawn Parnell, Marc Sacco, Chrissy Vogric-Hunnell, Michael Wachowiak, and Alexandria Watts. THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: This musical packs a lot of talent on the relatively small stage including, in alphabetical order, Kyle Baran, Noah Bielecki, Brian Brown, George L. Morgan, industrialist Henry Ford, architect Stanford White and the man who shot him, Harry Kendall Thaw, as well as polar explorers Admiral Peary and Matthew Henson. Throughout the evening we meet actual historical figures including anarchist Emma Goldman, illusionist Harry Houdini, actress and “Gibson Girl” inspiration Evelyn Nesbit, educator Booker T. Doctorow, RAGTIME takes us “back” (oh, how little things have changed) to the early 20th Century to show the struggles of African Americans through the tribulations of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician and his girlfriend Sarah as well as the difficulties of recent immigrants, represented by Tateh and his daughter, Jewish immigrants from Latvia. THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Based on the 1975 novel by E. Runtime: 2 hours, 35 minutes with one intermission Full service bar in beautifully appointed lounge. For most days, only single tickets are available for Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7, Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 3:30 and 7:30, but Sundays at 2 are all sold out at MusicalFare Theatre, 4380 Main Street, on Daemen College’s campus in Amherst (839-8540). Doctorow, directed by Randall Kramer, with choreography by Michael Walline, opened on February 13 and runs until March 17. THE BASICS: RAGTIME, the musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty, and Lynn Ahrens respectively, based on the novel by E.L.
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