Ragtime still timely & Beautiful timeless

Ragtime, Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University, through February 17. 617-353-2000 or wheelockfamilytheatre.org

Beautiful:The Carole King Musical, National tour presented by Broadway in Boston at Opera House, through February 17. 800-982-2787 or BroadwayinBoston.com

Before "Hamilton" there was "Ragtime." If the former speaks of immigrants getting things done in America, the latter equally praises new would-be citizens—most notably Latvian Jewish budding artist Tateh and his daughter Little Girl. The budding artist turned successful silent film maker who becomes Hollywood director Baron Ashkenazi tells his daughter "A Shtetl Is Amereke"—America is a shtetl—in this case a country with great possibilities. "Ragtime"'s gifted late author E.L. Doctorow saw the early 20th century as a time of great change—much of it arising through encounters between immigrants eager to share the American dream, African- Americans struggling for full freedom and equality of opportunity and White Anglo-Saxon Protestants largely resistant to both groups. Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University is the latest local company to stage the inspired Broadway musical that captures both conflict and connection—here in an inventive production that celebrates the novel as much as the show's strong Terrence McNally book and lush Stephen Flaherty- Lynn Ahrens score.

The Wheelock staging's inventiveness begins before a word is spoken. Audience members will find a diversity of children at a stage library. Little Boy, the son of the New Rochelle-based Protestants of the book, is reading a book that turns out to be Doctorow's benchmark novel itself. As company artistic director Emily Ranii observes in the playbill, this production emphasizes African-American piano player Coalhouse Walker, Jr.'s motto-like advice to adults to "Teach every child to raise his voice." Not surprisingly, Little Boy—like a young Zelig—appears at the back or side of many scenes as a kind of witness to the march of change and its impact on America in the early 1900's.

Introducing the staging at the performance this critic saw, Ranii greeted theatergoers "Welcome to our library!" In fact, "Ragtime" champions learning and understanding by children and adults, whites and blacks and diverse ethnic groups. Lindsay Genevieve Fuori's handsome library-dominated scenic design—complete with high-rising shelving and ladders—smartly serves the musical's book and score. For example, during the stirring early number ''Journey On," director Nick Vargas has Protestant Father and Tateh crossing paths on high wheeled library set pieces that serve as ships as the former sets out to explore and the latter approaches America. Shelving sometimes suggests Coalhouse's piano as well. Only Coalhouse's car—meant to be both a stylish vehicle and a sign of his growing success—needs more of a sharply defined prop. Even so, Vargas keeps the set changes smooth and the individual and intersecting stories of Mother and her son Little Boy, Tateh and his daughter Little Girl and Coalhouse and his wife Sarah and son Coalhouse Walker III.

A high energy cast does its impassioned best to capture this singular musical's sweeping evocation of a changing America as embodied in Doctorow's insightful novel and the new music evoked in the title. Tony Castellanos has all of Tateh's protective love for Little Girl—whom he drapes in his tallit (prayer shawl)—and his newfound confidence as he moves from making silhouettes and movie books to actual films. His rendition of Tateh's care-rich number "Gliding" is a high point of hopefulness. Lisa Yuen finds Mother's inner nobility and her self-empowerment—especially on the lyrical solo "Back to Before." Anthony Pires, Jr. catches all of Coalhouse's infectious optimism with Sarah on the show-stopping number "The Wheels of a Dream" as well as his fiery concern on "Make Them Hear You." Pier Lamia Porter is properly affecting and vulnerable as Sarah-most notably sweetly delivering the touching solo "Your Daddy's Son." With his big voice, Peter Adams gives the best portrayal of largely clueless Father that this critic has ever seen. Other standouts include Jonathan Acorn's earnest Younger Brother (Mother's), Ben Choi-Harris' always direct Little Boy and Nicole Paloma's feisty Socialist activist Emma Goldman. Music director Jon Goldberg does full justice to the richly eclectic score.

"Ragtime" resonates more than ever at a time when Jews, African-Americans and immigrants are confronting both new and familiar opposition and challenges. Wheelock Family Theatre's wonderfully fresh revival brings timely immediacy to its haunting message of hope and understanding in the face of hate.


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Carol Joan Klein may have adopted the last name King as a singer/songwriter to avoid still pernicious anti-Semitism in mid-20th century America. What she has never changed is an ongoing determination to make a difference. With both determination and talent, the Kennedy Center honoree (2015) has become a major role model both as a musical artist and a woman. Likewise "Beautiful:The Carole King Musical"—the Tony-nominated musical now on tour at the Opera House—proves a stirring celebration of her life and art.

Douglas McGrath smartly begins his book for this upbeat bio-musical with a first act that briefly looks at Carol's childhood but centers on her pivotal collaboration with first husband Gerry Goffin (1959-1968). As pop music buffs know well, composer King and lyricist Goffin collaborated on more than two dozen hits for musical groups like The Shirelles ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow") and The Drifters ("Up on the Roof"). Two very different challenges confront her at the start of the second act—her painful break-up with her husband over his serial affairs and the inner need to perform her own compositions. Her personal triumph--and the close of the musical—arrives with the landmark four Grammy-winning 1971 album "Tapestry" (best album, song, record and female pop vocalist) and an acclaimed performance at Carnegie Hall.

If the musical's book lacks the kind of fully taut narrative of a "Jersey Boys," it nevertheless presents a vivid portrait of King and an intriguing look at what may have been a kind of polyamory at Goffin's core. At the same time—particularly in the first act—"Beautiful" provides a concise understanding of the song for group composing by which recording impresario Don Kirshner obtained new material from competing songwriters-here King and Goffin on the one hand and Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann—of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" fame—on the other. The fascinating added factor with quick wit Weil and hypochondriac Mann is their best friends relationship with King and Goffin.

Under Marc Bruni's sharp direction, a strong opening night cast gave full expression to the friendship and musical richness of this very affecting show. Sarah Bockel—who alternates with Kaylee Harwood and Elise Vannerson—demonstrated a demeanor, a performance style and even a voice quite similar to those of Carole King herself—especially on such "Tapestry"gems as "It's Too Late" and the title song itself. Dylan S. Wallach caught Goffin's deep concern about artistry coupled with his personal irresponsibility and vulnerability. Alison Whitehurst had the right attitude and spirit as Weil, while Jacob Heimer caught Mann's sense of merriment and relative nonchalance.

"Beautiful" may not move the theater floor, but audience members should still feel that they have a good friend at the Opera House