When theater was created by the Greeks, they wanted the experience to be engaging. Director Zi Alikhan hopes he can emulate that in the Playmakers Repertory Company's production of "Ragtime."
The musical opens this Wednesday, Nov. 20 and runs until Dec. 15. Tickets start at $15, and the show is 2 hours and 45 minutes.
"Ragtime" is based off of E.L. Doctorow’s novel, which was published in 1975. The book was turned into a movie in 1981, and eventually a Broadway musical in 1996.
“It’s interesting because the novel was written in, I think the '80s, and the musical was written in the late '90s. It was revived in 2010, and here we are 10 years later,” Alikhan said. “So, every 10 years, we kind of revisit this story and I think it’s fascinating because, to me, it has always kind of been a parable that speaks to answer the question of how did we get here.”
"Ragtime" provides the audience with the perspectives of three communities within New York: New Rochelle, Harlem and Rivington Street. The musical aims to analyze various relationships between people coming to and living in America, and addresses the idea of the American dream, said Fergie L. Philippe, who plays Coalhouse Walker Jr.
“It’s about all different kinds of interpersonal, interracial, intersexual, inter-gender relations between all of these humans coming to America,” Phillippe said. “This musical is about all of these relationships and how people are trying to coexist in this country, when the foundation of what is setup for America doesn’t necessarily reflect that, so we’re focusing on what is the American dream and who gets access to it.”
Although the play has been performed in many places, including Broadway, the version being put on at Playmakers strays from the traditional version, said Lauren Kennedy, who plays Mother.
“We’re doing our own, very special, what everyone is calling an ‘immersive experience,’” Kennedy said. “It’s kind of not the traditional version, I mean the text and the music and everything is the same, but the take on it is really unique and interesting, and I think it brings it up to 2019. We’re talking about the social issues that existed then that still exist now."
This production tackles topics relevant to today, such as race relations, sexism and immigration. By bringing these matters to light, Philippe said he hopes conversations are sparked within the audience and that people leave asking questions.
