Ragtime. Book by Terrence McNally. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Based on the novel "Ragtime" by E. L. Doctorow. Directed by Lear DeBessonet. Choreography by Ellenore Scott. Music direction by James Moore. Scenic design by David Korins. Costume design by Linda Cho. Lighting design by Adam Honoré and Donald Holder. Sound design by Kai Harada. Projection design by 59 Studio. Hair and wig design by Tom Watson. Sensitivity Specialist Ann James. Orchestrations by William David Brohn. Vocal arrangements by Stephen Flaherty. Creative consultant Christopher Gattelli.
Cast: Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, Brandon Uranowitz, Colin Donnell, Nichelle Lewis, Ben Levi Ross, Shaina Taub, Anna Grace Barlow, John Clay III, Rodd Cyrus, Nick Barrington, Tabitha Lawing, Nicholas Barrón, Lauren Blackman, Allison Blackwell, Briana Carlson-Goodman, Jordan Chin, Eean Sherrod Cochran, Billy Cohen, Kerry Conte, Rheaume Crenshaw, Ellie Fishman, Jason Forbach, Nick Gaswirth, Ta'Nika Gibson, Jackson Parker Gill, David Jennings, Kaleb Johnson, Marina Kondo, Morgan Marcell, Kane Emmanuel Miller, Jenny Mollet, Tom Nelis, Kent Overshown, Kayla Pecchioni, John Rapson, Matthew Scott, Ellie May Sennett, Deandre Sevon, Jacob Keith Watson, and Alan Wiggins. Theater: Vivian Beaumont Theater
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com

The Cast Photo by Matthew Murphy

That's the interjection of the day and the singular way to describe the powerful and emotionally stirring revival of Ragtime that opened tonight at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Throw in some adjectival phrases like "brilliantly performed," "smartly directed," and "audience rewarding," and you've got a pretty good idea of what it is like to sit in on this three-hour feast that manages to balance the musical's pageantry-by-design with something that is often in short supply for such shows. That would be a sense of connection between onlookers and the characters, an intimacy that is helped in no small way by taking full advantage of the Vivian Beaumont's semi-circular thrust stage that allows for a physical closeness with the audience.

When Ragtime originally opened on Broadway in 1998, one wag referred to it as a "diorama." That is certainly a potential trap inherent in a show that is based on a sweeping historical novel with a plethora of characters and multiple storylines. In this case, the source is E. L. Doctorow's novel, also called "Ragtime." The well-wrought adaptation is by playwright Terrence McNally. The glorious score is by the team of Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics).

The creative team of McNally, Flaherty, and Ahrens have done a bang-up job of weaving together the story of the uneasy melting pot of upper-class white suburbanites, striving Black Americans, and hopeful newcomer Eastern European immigrants that burst into full and often clashing bloom in the United States in the early 20th century. Add to the mix a truckload of historical characters, including Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, and Booker T. Washington, among others, and you've set yourself up for an extraordinary juggling challenge.

All of this, depicted here by a cast of 41, makes for quite a stew. That this production avoids the "diorama" trap is a massive credit to the consistently credible, often stunning performances and the sure hand of director Lear DeBessonet, making an auspicious start to her turn at the bat as Lincoln Center's recently appointed artistic director.

Just prior to this career move, DeBessonet served as artistic director of Encores! at New York City Center, and this production of Ragtime was performed there last year. No doubt, the City Center presentation was excellent, but the transfer to Broadway has erased almost every flaw, has heightened almost every scene, and has allowed its cast to take flight.

Best of the best here is Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., the Black ragtime piano player whose story is central to capturing the complex themes of the show, the striving for respect, justice, dignity, and a piece of the pie that is generally referred to as The American Dream. Henry's performance captures all of these with great aplomb both in his acting and in sharing with us his enormous talent as a singer.

As a soloist, Henry soars, but when he is in duet with Nichelle Lewis as Sarah, the love and heartbreaking loss of his life, the audience holds its collective breath. During a pivotal scene in which he convinces her to trust him, and we watch her slow descent down the stairs and into his arms, there's likely not a dry eye in the house, an unforgettable theatrical moment that is absolutely earned by the pair.

Also at the top of her game is the crystalline-voiced Caissie Levy as Mother, who makes the journey from cocooned upper-class wife and mother to becoming an increasingly self-assured woman on a personal journey from sympathy to empathy to generous and open-hearted love. We may not know what it was about the way she was raised that planted this seed, but we also see a similar pattern being followed by her Younger Brother (Ben Levi Ross), which anchors both of their personalities. Completing the main trio of Coalhouse and Mother is the Jewish immigrant Tateh, beautifully portrayed by Brandon Uranowitz.

Truly, though, there is not a single cast member who fails to contribute fully to the overall production, something which can also be said of the design elements, from Linda Cho's costumes (whites and creams for the upper-class white characters; darker colors for everyone else), to Ellenore Scott's genial choreography highlighted by ragtime, cakewalk, and other period-appropriate dance moves, to David Korins' just-enough of a set design, to the use of projections by 59 Studio. It's all well thought out and all of a piece.

While I may have a few quibbles with the incorporation of some tangential, albeit entertaining, numbers at the front end of Act II (i.e. the songs about baseball and Atlantic City), there are very few musicals I would label as "not to be missed." This production of Ragtime is one of them.