‘Ragtime: The Musical’ is solid if not subtle

The Broadway musical is a uniquely American art form. Like many other uniquely American things, such as blue jeans and comic books, the musical is made for broad popular tastes.

Such is the case with “Ragtime: The Musical” based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel, which opened to a diverse and almost sold-out house Tuesday night at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The show ain’t subtle. As you might expect with characters named “Mother” and “Father,” there’s an allegorical, fablelike quality to the story. The exposition is often ham-handed and the characters sometimes explain themselves with a cartoonish simplicity. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Cartoons, after all, can be quite moving. In this case, aided by an innovative, well-crafted production, “Ragtime” offers a simplicity worth watching.

The original Broadway cast, way back in 1998, included Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald in the roles of Coalhouse Walker Jr. and Sarah. Chris Sams does not have the stentorian presence of Mitchell. Because no one does. Leslie Jackson also can’t sing like Audra McDonald. Because no one can. Nevertheless, Jackson managed to bring an appealing vulnerability to a character who does a very unappealing thing, and Sams played Walker with dignity and swagger. His anguished use of a particularly charged racial slur was enough to make the audience squirm.

The rest of the cast was capable or better. Kate Turner as Mother nicely transformed from obedient hausfrau to protofeminist. Matthew Curiano, who plays Tateh, has a lovely, expressive tenor, even if his Yiddish accent left something to be desired. Jillian Van Niel squeaked and squealed delightfully as Evelyn Nesbit despite having a character with very little to do.

She wasn’t alone. Whole scenes seem to serve no purpose. “What a Game,” set at a baseball stadium, adds nothing to the plot beyond a kind of Andy Rooney-ish fuddy-duddery about the good ol’ days. A visit to Henry Ford’s factory explores the not terribly revolutionary idea that manufacturing work is dehumanizing. With so much filler, at nearly two and a half hours with an intermission, the show runs a bit long.

We can’t, however, blame director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge for that. Her interpretation of “Ragtime,” which originated at the Kennedy Center nearly a decade after the original Broadway run, has a charming fluidity. The blocking and staging are impeccable, with Dodge sometimes arranging her cast like the subjects on the panels of a medieval triptych. The sets by Kevin Depinet are pristine and innovative, consisting mostly of sparse furniture and rolling staircases used to remarkably versatile effect. The lighting design by Mike Baldassari made particularly powerful use of silhouettes, which play such a key role in the story.

“Ragtime” is not challenging theater. But it’s good theater nonetheless. There’s nothing edgy or avant-garde here, just solid material well executed.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:48 PM with the headline "‘Ragtime: The Musical’ is solid if not subtle."