The original 1998 Broadway production had a cast of 52 and a 28-piece orchestra, “but there’s actually many different ways to do it.”
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Composer Stephen Flaherty strikes a chord for 'Ragtime' at CMU
The original 1998 Broadway production had a cast of 52 and a 28-piece orchestra, “but there’s actually many different ways to do it.”
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I believe that, last year, when the school decided to produce “Ragtime” for the season’s musical, they didn’t know how drastically the political situation we are currently in would affect the meaning and importance of this play. Despite this unforeseen challenge, the creative team and actors have taken this new message in stride and, because of this, I believe that “Ragtime” is one of the most important pieces of theatre I have seen. The phenomenal singing and score only serve to enhance the experience. To sum it all up, I am elated that we are producing art like this at CMU. Now that that is out of the way, I am also surprised at the composer’s level of involvement in the continuing productions of “Ragtime”. It is hard to believe him seeing as many productions of it as possible, considering how often “Ragtime” is performed. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of another composer who continued to be attached to their work. Can you imagine Sondheim going to every production of “Into the Woods” or Schwartz seeing “Godspell” or “Pippin’” or “Children of Eden” over and over? Maybe it’s just the nature of the play’s moral importance in contemporary culture that causes Flaherty to continue to see how his music affect audiences as the issues in his show become more and more controversial in and vital to our society?
I was able to see ragtime on Wednesday for the invited dress. Let me just say the show was one of the best shows I have seen this year at Carnegie. John clay and Arica were amazing. It is no surprise that when the composer himself saw it, he knew that this school needed to do it. One thing I do need to add though was that he said any size cast can do this show. He gave examples of different size casts from 6 to 52. I don’t not think that a size of 6 would do this show justice. You need to have an ensemble! The songs feel empty compared to the original 50 voices. I wish that the show here had more of an ensemble. I don wonder what the show that had 6 cast members were in it was like? Did it uphold the artistic integrity of the show?
What Mr. Flaherty says about theatre I completely agree with. Theatre should get people talking and thinking and i think doing a production of Ragtime right now certainly does that. It is such an honor to get permission from the composer himself and and even bigger honor for him to take the time to come see it. As one of the Assistant Stage Managers for the show, I can tell you that even with a reduced cast, the show is quite a beast. It really took everyone's hard work and dedication to pt on this scale of a show but seeing the actors perform and hearing the audience react makes it all worth it. Each person I have talked to who has seen the show has been very much moved by the performance. I am happy to be a part of this production and bring Mr. Flaherty's goals of making theatre relevant, alive.
I had the pleasure to see the matinee performance of Ragtime this afternoon, and I completely agree with both Vanessa and Mr. Flaherty. This production of Ragtime came at a perfect time, and it's kind of crazy to think that this musical was chosen last year. It was certainly relevant then, but it is even more relevant now, which is frightening. We are living in a very scary political atmosphere, where half the news articles look like they should be from the Onion. The kind of ludicrous injustice that is so heavily featured in Ragtime is still around today. It's less prevalent, sure, but it is without a doubt still there. Even without the political relevance, Ragtime is an amazing production. The collective talent of this cast is absolutely astounding, and I feel honored to be able to go to school every day with such gifted people.
I saw Ragtime today and really enjoyed the show, though it was depressingly relevant. In terms of the performance, I found all of the actors very believable in their roles and I was immediately invested in the story they were telling. I’m really glad that CMU is producing Ragtime, even though I don’t think anyone realized how relevant it would be when this years season was decided. Then again, even before Trump was elected president (it hurt to write those last four words) the racial tension in America was extremely relevant. One moment in the musical that really struck me (spoilers ahead) is when Sarah was beaten to death and Coalhouse said something along the lines of “It is going to keep happening” (if I remember correctly). That prediction has been sadly true, as Sarah being beaten to death by police who falsely assume she has a gun is virtually identical to the police brutality against Black Americans that we see again and again today. Every line of that moment could be set in the modern day and not be out of place. I like what Flaherty said about how theater should get people talking and thinking. I hope the people who saw/ will see Ragtime will talk and think about what it means about our world today, and I hope the theatre industry as a whole continues to get people to think about relevant and important topics.
I think the timing of this show could not have been better even if it had been planned. When choosing the season for this year, they had no idea what the political climate would be at this point or how completely relevant this show would be now. I think this musical itself is wonderful because of it's near-constant relevance at any time. There is at least a piece of it that relates to something happening, though someday perhaps it hopefully won't have as much relevance. I think this may have been one of the reasons it became completely sold-out before it even opened. Theatre has always been a great way for communities to express dissent with current issues, and I think many members of the university community relate to many of those in the school of drama when it comes to the frustration and confusion that was felt for many after this recent election.
I've been in tech this week and haven't been able to see Ragtime yet, but I've been hearing only good things from those who worked on it and everyone that saw it. It's so cool to know that the creators of Ragtime support our production, and even sent a drama all congratulations email out to everyone. Like everyone else has been saying, there's no way that we could have known just how important it would be to produce this musical during this tense political time. The fact that the School of Drama supports creating politically charged theater is a great thing, and makes me all the more proud to go here. Evan mentioned the stage feeling a little empty with the reduced cast size, and that would be my only concern going in to our production. However, from what I've heard being around the theater and rehearsal room their voices both fill the space and sound amazing. I can't wait to go and see the show next weekend!
I posted something really gushy on Facebook a few night ago about Ragtime, but this can just be the longer version of that. This production of Ragtime, was by far the best thing I have ever seen at CMU and absolutely some of the best work I have ever seen in any setting. The performances were absolutely astonishing, and while when the show was picked our political climate was not quite what it is now, the story could not ring more true, and you could tell that the audience absolutely resonated with that. I spent the whole first act ready to cry, and the entire second act actually crying. The show was beautifully designed, incredibly directed and I think that the cast is full of performers that will go on to be stars in their own right. I am so excited to see the futures of the people who worked on this show because it was absolutely fantastically put together. Even if it went over budget and made ever person who works and goes to CMU crazy, I think it was worth it, because I was genuinely touched Friday night, as I believe an entire audience was.
I saw this online and thought this was so exciting! It is amazing that we go to a school with such national recognition that we are in collaboration with the original composers. Ragtime is a controversial show and has been since its advent in musical theatre. It fictionally portrays a story of three groups that didn't have as much historical interaction with one another as the musical depicts. Although this show is seen as progressive to many, it still ends in a way that glorify the family from new rochelle and demonize coal house walker. Mother and Father "save" the baby and provide him a better life. I don't know, something to me just doesn't feel right about a plot that celebrates the white people for saving the day. I have seen multiple productions of ragtime and i didn't notice these underlying themes until after a conversation with some of my peers after the show.
With that being said, this production that carnegie mellon put on was beautiful. Arica and John Clay were breath-taking. Keith's costumes were elaborate and stunning. The scenery was wildly impressive.
I was privileged enough to see Ragtime on opening night this friday, and i was blown away, this plot, and the message could not have been more relevant if it tried. This was personally accentuated by the fact that there was a man sitting behind me who booed at the end of any song with a cast that was a majority of people of color. This really hit hard with me that this is an incredibly present problem at this time in the country. All of the themes in this show were spot on and are echoed throughout history into modern day. I think this show is exactly what our community as a school needed, especially after the recent election and everything that is happening currently across the country. I will always cherish this as one of my favorite experiences in theater, and I hope as many people get a chance to see it as is possible.
I saw Ragtime yesterday and got more emotional than I thought I would. My mom immigrated to America from China with her nursing school, and my dad is a Jewish political refugee from Soviet Russia. It felt even more powerful to be watching this piece of theater about immigrants, the American Dream, and persisting in the face of prejudice during this harrowing time in history. I definitely teared up during “Gliding” as I thought of my father and his family coming from Russia to make a better life for future generations. I thought our cast and production team did an amazing job of bringing to life a story that still rings so true to today, and situating it within where we are now in 2017. This was a very big endeavor for the school to take on, and while from what I understand there were a lot of hiccups in terms of the technical difficulties of such a massive production, I’m so glad to go to a school that takes on these challenges and uses them as learning opportunities for the whole team. I’ve heard multiple accounts of racist comments being made by certain audience members/ people leaving during intermission, which is very disappointing of course, but I hope this means that our work is moving in a direction of progress, and that we continue to make theater regardless of what we think our subscriber base will think. I hope that we continue to do work as relevant and important as Ragtime. There is an entire misinformed culture of fear being formed right now around people of color and immigrants, which means life-and-death for so many innocent people. Art like Ragtime humanizes and personalizes these struggles to make the world a more warm, welcoming place.
OK, I thought CMU was crazy by doing Ragtime with such a limited cast, especially when the original production requires a cast size of 52, but it's crazy to think that there were productions that have put on this show with even greater restrictions. Clearly, we've seen that cast size isn't the most crucial thing in Ragtime and further emphasizes just how influential the production can be on the public because even with a cast of 6 people, the audience eats the show up. The score, overall message, and overarching themes are enough to give you goosebumps. Similarly to Sasha's experience, I thought about my very own and thought about how my mom left the USSR as the wall was collapsing to come to America to look for the so-called "American Dream." And it feels weird as hell to be a 1st generation American, being one of the only people in my family going to University in order to create a better life for my family. That was the emotional response for me and, undoubtedly, there's one for each sect of society depicted in the play. Besides the undertones, the primary message between the love and lives of Coalhouse and Sarah are HUGE to our contemporary society and it's clear to see why CMU saw Ragtime as a good fit for the 2016-17 season, commenting on the past century where POCs are labeled as free but treated like crap. I totally agree with CMU's choice to produce Ragtime and think its extremely appropriate for our time. I hope that through the warm and sunny days of the play people will see the bold, outlined grievances of what America really is in its lowest points of history and will make that same connection to the present day.
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