PLEASANT GROVE — Ragtime, a musical with a book by Terrance McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens is the inaugural production open now at The Ruth, the new theatre in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that has replaced the former Hale Center in Orem. Directed by Jennifer Hill Barlow, the show originally opened on Broadway in 1998. Based on the novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow, the show follows three different groups of people, the well off Caucasian family of New Rochelle New York, the Black people of Harlem, and the European immigrants of the lower east side of New York at the turn of the 20th Century. Mixed in with historic characters and events, the main fictional characters show how the biases of the time and the interactions of the people shaped the way America developed then and now.
Ragtime plays at The Ruth through February 22, 2025. | PC: Suzy O Photography
The new Ruth Theatre is a site to behold, with all the beauty and technology one can imagine of a new facility. Barlow and the production team have done an exemplary job of opening up this new performance venue with Ragtime. The first thing to note in the production is the fantastic music under the direction of Anne Puzey. As soon as I see Puzey’s name in the program, I know through experience of her past shows and strong reputation that the musicality of the production will be elevated. I will admit that with a new venue and the price of the ticket I was hopeful for live musicians, which was not part of the performance. With the level of talent in Utah, it truly is a shame that we do not have live orchestra in these semi-professional spaces. Other than that hiccup, the music in this production was divine. In the opening number, Ragtime, the level of harmonic unity of the cast was palpable. Combining that with the exquisite costume design by Dennis Wright and choreography by Joshua Whitehead led to a breathtaking beginning that got me anxiously on my seat waiting for more.
This beautiful anticipation only built throughout the production. Another notable moment came in with the lighting design by Ryan Fallis, in the number Goodbye, My Love/Journey On where Mother, played by Amy Schreeve Keeler, Father, played by Christopher Higbee, and Tateh, played by Dustin Bolt, are bathed in a sea of stars that added such spirit and connection. This lighting design showed up throughout the production. A small moment that I found delightful was in the song Buffalo Nickle Photoplay, Inc. where the lighting was used to look like Mother was in a film. It is small touches like that that highlight the strong details that are evident with a talented design team.
Photo: Suzy O Photography
All of the actors in the show were powerful in their roles. I enjoyed watching Keeler’s character growth as Mother, from the first number mentioned to the mid-first act fear in What Kind of Woman and the full power of the 11 o’clock number Back to Before. Her chemistry with Bolt as Tateh was moving, especially in the charming song Our Children. Younger Brother, played by Isaac Moss, also had a truly inspirational path, from his beginning infatuation with Evelyn Nesbitt, played by Morgan Fenner, to his “waking to America” in the second act, as narrated by the stunning Emma Goldman, played by Marcie Jacobsen who was a tour de force.
At the top of these performances were Kiirt Banks as Coalhouse Walker Jr. and Aria Love Jackson as Sarah. The beauty and the tragedy of their love story is the heart of this show, and these two were completely up to the task of telling it well. Banks enters in with charm in his first number of The Getting Ready Rag and moved through his path with grace and interest. Jackson was truly the shining gem of the evening. In the song Your Daddy’s Son, the level of love, sorrow, pain, and understanding that was conveyed through her eyes and voice was otherworldly.
Each time I have seen Ragtime over the years, since the first time I witnessed it in New York in 1998, I have been taken by the end of the first act, Til We Reach That Day. It has been 27 years since, and it appears to be as essential a lesson now as it was then. I assume many readers have not seen this show, and so rather than spoil it, I will just say that the lyrics that state “it will happen again and again and again”. The show reminds me why we tell these stories in our theatres, from professional to community, until we can reach that day of peace. This is a great story to take in as we as a community celebrate opening the doors to another theatre in our midst.
PC: Suzy O Photography
