RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley City, through July 23 (phone 984-9000). Running time: two hours, 40 minutes (one intermission).
WEST VALLEY CITY — At the turn of the century (the last century, not the current one) a jaunty new music was sweeping the nation.
It was called ragtime and it hit its stride when the United States' ethnic melting pot was percolating. Sophisticated jazz was right around the corner, and the "big band" era, jitterbug and boogie-woogie were waiting in the wings.
"Ragtime: The Musical," written by Terrence McNally with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens — based on E.L. Doctorow's novel — is perfectly suited to Hale Centre Theatre's high-tech stage, which spins, raises and lowers as three diverse groups glide in and out, eventually blending together.
A wealthy WASP-ish family in the protected environs of New Rochelle . . . "people of color" dancing the night away in the clubs of Harlem . . . and European immigrants flowing through Ellis Island all meld together in this dramatic, tune-driven musical.
Co-directors Ron Jewett, Andrew Barrus and Marilyn May Montgomery are blessed with a cast that brings life to the richly textured story and multifaceted characters.
"Ragtime" has a huge cast, with nearly 40 performers at times filling the small stage to overflowing.
"Mother," with a finely honed performance by Meghan Parrish, is the glue that holds the saga together. While she is constantly reaching out and touching others with her compassion, her husband — "Father" (played by Scott Morgan) — is aloof and distant. Morgan's singing seemed a bit strained on opening night, but he fared very well in the more dramatic bits.
One of the show's strongest performances is by Brad Robins, as Mother's Younger Brother, who drifts aimlessly from one adventure to another. Robins has a voice and demeanor that is far beyond his youthfulness (he is about to graduate from Viewmont High School).
Other noteworthy performances came from Trevor Jerome and Clotile Bonner as ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. and Sarah, the unwed mother of their ultimately orphaned son. Their rocky relationship has one upbeat moment in "Wheels of a Dream."
Kelly DeHaan (who directed the show's orchestrations) gives a knock-out performance as Tateh, the thoughtful Latvian immigrant who finds success, with Natalie Barnes as his daughter.
Kooper Campbell is the precocious, prophetic Little Boy, who chimes in with occasional narration.
Among the real-life characters portrayed in the show — who help establish the historic period — are Seth Barney as Houdini, Ashley Gardner (a great-niece of Ava Gardner) as saucy vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit, Markus T. Boddie as black educator Booker T. Washington and Amber Woody as firebrand anarchist Emma Goldman.
One minor technical problem — a set of horizontal projection screens hovering just below the lighting grid — should be fixed by the time this review is printed. The screens blocked the views of the theater's auxiliary stages for those in the top row.
The taped orchestrations also need some fine tuning.
Sensitivity rating: Some staged violence. May be too intense for younger children.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com