MTC's "Ragtime: The Musical" Is A Must-See Performance

Hidden gem, Music Theatre of Connecticut opened their 33rd season with award-winning production Ragtime: The Musical.

Based on the 1975 E.L. Doctorow best-selling historic novel, as well as a 1981 movie adaptation, Ragtime: The Musical is a compelling epic capturing the American experience at the turn of the 20th century. Tracking three diverse families in pursuit of the American dream in the volatile “melting pot” of turn-of-the-century New York, Ragtime confronts the dialectic contradictions inherent in American reality: experiences of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair. This play weaves three story lines from three very different walks of life - a white upper-class family, a Jewish immigrant father-daughter duo and a daring young Harlem musician.

Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) makes this play a pertinent topic that mirrors today's political and social climate. Viewing this production through a contemporary lens, this musical reminds the audience that the challenges of the early 20th century remain intensely relevant. Days after the performance, I am still thinking about numerous powerful scenes from this thought-provoking show.

It is impressive how this small black box theater is able to coordinate 16 actors on the stage and create such visually dynamic scenes. With an impressive total of 32 musical numbers, the harmonization of vocals from the entire cast was incredible - especially from Juliet Lambert Pratt (Mother), who is a returning performer at MTC and has graced the Broadway stage numerous times. Powerful performances from Ezekiel Andrew (Coalhouse), Soara-Joy Ross (Sara) and Frank Mastrone (Tateh) elevate this production to make it Broadway-worthy performance. The rest of the talented cast includes: Christian Cardozo, Ari Frimmer, Jeff Gurner, Dennis Holland, Kanova Latrice Johnson, Brian Demar Jones, Bill Nabel, Hannah Pressman, Mia Scarpa, Jessica Molly Schwartz and Jacob Sundlie. Two musicians (David Wolfson and Mark Ceppetelli) impressively played piano in the middle of the stage during the entire performance

Hurry - see this production before it's gone! The last performance is this Sunday, October 13th. Tickets available for Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 4pm & 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. To learn more and to purchase tickets, please visit MTC's website.

Music Theatre of Connecticut

509 Westport Avenue (Route 1) in Norwalk

Runtime: approx. 2 hours and 45 minutes (including a 15 minute intermission).