Ragtime

NEW YORK - The sidewalks of Times Square are paved with gold. Well, fake gold: Rolex, Tag Heuer, Breitling and Cartier timepieces whose gleaming casings are as authentic as the inside mechanism is reliable. Myriad street vendors choking this "crossroads of the world" are hawking more than watches, though. The gilt dreams of tourists pouring into Times Square are also fed with enticements of faux Louis Vuitton purses, Montblanc pens, Tiffany bracelets and pashmina scarves. Not all of Times Square's street vendors sell knockoffs.

Rob and Channez McQuay have a nice date planned for May 10: They will be attending the Helen Hayes Award ceremony in Washington as nominees. The married couple, who live in Columbia, appeared in Ragtime at Toby's Dinner Theatre in September and October. In March, they found out they had earned two of the nine nominations for that show, which tells the story of members of different ethnic and social groups in the early 20th century. Channez was nominated as best supporting actress in a resident musical (one that does not tour)

When the lights come up on the current production of Ragtime at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, the boy playing the part of Edgar stands on a platform high above the set, illuminated by a spotlight, and delivers the first lines of the show. That role and the part of the little immigrant girl offer two substantial opportunities for four local pre-teen actors to match their stage and singing skills with seasoned professionals. The children, who are paid for their work, divide the performances, each doing four shows a week.

Without art, what is our existence but chaos?" asks one of the main characters in the musical Ragtime. Adapted by playwright Terrence McNally from E.L. Doctorow's landmark novel, Ragtime was, in this critic's opinion, not merely an artistic triumph, but the best new Broadway musical of the 1990s. It's also, however, a devilishly complex show to stage. Interweaving a handful of historic characters with fictitious characters representing three disparate ethnic groups in early 20th-century America, the show has such a broad, epic scope that, in the wrong hands, it could conceivably dissolve into chaos.

In the early years of the 20th century, a new style of music bubbled up in America - an optimistic, syncopated music created by African-American pianists and known as ragtime. Looking back to that period, a novel by E.L. Doctorow showed how the beliefs and attitudes of America's Anglo-Saxon society were being challenged by the growing influence of minority groups. Doctorow named his book Ragtime. A musical version of Ragtime is the current attraction at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia.

Oh dear!" said the cat. "You did not like our game. ... "Oh dear. "What a shame! "What a shame! "What a shame!" - From The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss From the start, Seussical the Musical appeared to have a lot going for it. It was based on some of the most beloved children's books of all time - Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and various others from the Seuss canon. And it was created by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the lyricist and composer whose credits include the scores for the Broadway musicals Ragtime (for which they won a Tony Award)

The syncopated inflections of ragtime and jazz gave the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra's program this week an extra kick. It provided a good opportunity to trace the influences of popular idioms on Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland, two giants who helped define classical music in the 20th century. Stravinsky's Ragtime, scored for 11 instruments, suggests a cubist take on Scott Joplin. Melodic fragments are tossed around, ending up in odd places and falling on odd beats; dynamic levels are quirky.

A wave of vulgar, filthy and suggestive music has inundated the land," declared the Musical Courier in 1899. "It is artistically and morally depressing and should be suppressed by press and pulpit."

Several weeks ago, after I had written a column about Fats Waller, several callers and letter-writers inquired about the identity of James P. Johnson, who had been Waller's teacher during the late World War I years. "James P. Johnson is still the leading contender for the title of our most overlooked musical genius," wrote Grover Sales in his book, Jazz - America's Classical Music. Johnson was the "Father of the Stride Piano," a rhythmic, galloping piano style that combines elements of ragtime, jazz and the blues, and flourished in Harlem during its artistic renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.

Although the musical "Ragtime" starts out as the story of three families, it is ultimately the story of one vast family - the family that is America. This epic subject is captured in soaring melodies and characterizations in the musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel. True, the scenically lean touring production at the Mechanic Theatre at times veers toward oratorio. But the gripping performances of several key members of the large, accomplished cast and the intricately crafted script - adapted by Terrence McNally - keep the action involving.