A colossal spectacle A colossal spectacle (July 30, 2004)

Foothill's 'Ragtime' boasts stellar cast

By Jeanie Forte

Even if you've seen "Ragtime" before, you'll enjoy Foothill Music Theatre's production, thanks to its terrific cast and its enormous heart.

It is the most ambitious show that Foothill Music Theatre director Jay Manley has mounted yet. With more than 50 actors, 300 costumes and 30 songs, its size and scope are unusual and daunting, but the company conjures a stylish, energetic and emotionally engaging spectacle that is both entertaining and moving.

Based on the book by E. L. Doctorow, "Ragtime" sprawls across class, race, history and fiction to chart America's culture in the early 20th century. The central figures of "Ragtime" come from three distinct social groups of the early 1900s: an upper-class white family living the good life in New Rochelle, N.Y.; a group of African-Americans staving off the oppressive effects of racism with dance and the syncopated music of rag; and a motley group of European immigrants, represented by a determined Jewish artist and his daughter.

Thrown into the mix are a handful of historic personalities, including industrialists J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford, magician Harry Houdini, radical socialist Emma Goldman, black statesman Booker T. Washington and vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbitt.

The main plot hinges on an act of racism perpetrated against ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker (James Monroe Iglehart) and its ripple effect through all the characters' lives, as he seeks first justice and then revenge. But there are many interwoven subplots -- Tateh (Paul Araquistain) searching for a living wage without exploitation, Father (Gregory Tittle) searching for a defining adventure for the new era, Washington (Kieleil-DeLeon) and Goldman (Catherine Sheldon) addressing societal ills through different forms of activism -- which together construct a richly detailed portrait of an era.

Manley's cast for this production is stellar. Iglehart as Coalhouse delivers a knockout performance, with his powerful voice, nimble feet and emotional honesty. Julie Valentine again graces the Foothill Music Theatre stage, playing girlfriend Sarah. Her solo, "Your Daddy's Son," is superb, but it's also thrilling to hear her duets with Iglehart.

The character of Mother is the moral center of the piece, and Mary Melnick portrays her with dignity and noble fierceness, as well as feminine tenderness. Her acting and singing overall is beautiful and affecting. Tittle as Father has a gorgeous voice and the requisite stuff of a reluctant patriarch. Araquistain is wonderful as determined Tateh, showing immigrant toughness but also fatherly protectiveness in touching scenes with his daughter, the expressive Lauren Hart.

Other standouts in a tremendously talented cast include Jessica Lynn Carroll as a delightful Evelyn Nesbit, Andrew Sanford as precocious Edgar, Stephane Alwyn as a bewildered Houdini and Ray Renati as gruff moneybags industrialist J.P. Morgan, looking just like the tuxedoed guy in Monopoly. Kevin Kirby as Henry Ford and DeLeon as Washington breathe engaging life into history-book characters. The show depends on a strong ensemble, and there isn't a weak link among them.

Information

What: "Ragtime," presented by Foothill Music Theatre. The play features book by Terrence McNally, score by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

Where: Foothill College's Smithwick Theatre, 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills.

When: Show times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Through Aug. 15.

Cost: Tickets are $24 general; $22 seniors; $18 students; $10 children under 12.

Call: 949-7360 (open Monday to Saturday 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday 12 to 4 p.m.), 24-hour charge-by-phone hotline at 949-7414 or visit www.foothill.edu/fa/ragtime/index.html

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