Review: Ragtime

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Ragtime.
With nothing planned for my weekend (and not having been to the theatre in a while), I decided Saturday would be a great day for a matinee! I have a friend in America (@broadwaybobnyc) who adores Ragtime and with an Off-West End production playing, I just had to see if it was as good as Bob had told me. My thoughts after seeing Ragtime... what a show! Everything about it is perfect, I don't feel I can put into words how well everything is done (but I'm going to try!). The show takes the audience on a roller-coaster of emotions, a lot happens! With the wonderful acting, set and score, I was absolutely transported. I know this is going to sound like a cliché, but it genuinely felt like I was there in America during the 20th Century. The set is minimal and yet the show manages to create all of New York City with it, and it works tremendously. The costumes are also fantastic and add to the realistic effect, as did the lighting design. The cast are sublime; not only are they incredible actors and singers, but they play their own instruments! Anita Louise Combe as Mother is very natural in the role, she was ideal for the role. Her rendition "Back to Before" is lovely. Aka Mitchell as Coalhouse Walker Jr. has a voice full of soul and emotion. His character largely changes throughout the play and Aka has this down to a tee. He was also fantastic on the piano! I cannot praise Gary Tushaw as Tateh enough. Tateh, in my opinion, is the character in the show that has the largest journey and Gary, from facial expressions to movement, showed the struggles of Tateh. Jonathan Stewart adds to the long list of incredible performances in this show, as Younger Brother. I have seen Jonathan in Shrek as Pinocchio and in Guys and Dolls understudying as Sky Masterson. He is an extremely versatile actor, he always delivers, no matter what the role. Finally, Jennifer Saayeng, as Sarah, has a voice like no other. Her voice is beautiful, she was definitely the strongest singer in the cast.  I felt like I really understood the thought process of every single character and throughout the show I grew to care about all of the main characters. There are many plots to the show and it is interesting to see them all intertwine. The score is spectacular and I have been listening to the score non-stop since seeing the show. I can't get the tune of the 'Prologue' out of my head! I liked the messages given by the show, especially the themes of racial inequality. It was very sad what African-Americans had to put up with back then and I know it sadly still occasionally happens today. There is nothing whatsoever to fault the show, it is 10 times better than the majority of shows in the West End.

The featured star of Ragtime is, drum roll please... GARY TUSHAW!

Featured star was such a difficult choice as there are so many extraordinary performances in this show, but in the end I decided I had to give it to Gary. Because of his portrayal, I cared about Tateh more than any of the other characters. He is definitely one of the best leading actors in a musical I have seen this year.

Now for my final verdict on Ragtime. I give Ragtime...

I give this rating because it meets every requirement for the perfect production. Great cast, great score, great set, lighting and costumes, it has absolutely everything!

Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Join me next time when I will be kicking off my London Christmas and New Year theatre marathon with Love's Labour's Lost.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer