Before today, I had never actually seen the entire show straight through. Of course, I had been to tech rehearsal, and have been backstage for the shows, but these occasions did not allow me to just sit and enjoy the show without worrying about whether or not everyone had their props or if everything was in the right place. But today I allowed myself to sit in the audience and just absorb everything that is the magic of Ragtime. And just sitting there, enjoying the show as if I had never been backstage, and knew no one in the cast, I understood why we do it. I understood why we put so much of our time and our hearts into this musical. Because as much as we complain about how it consumes our lives, we all know that this musical means something. Not just to the people who’s idea it was to put on the show in the first place, but it means something to each and every audience member, because it puts onstage things that oftentimes we are too afraid to admit even exist. This show is about something. Sure, people can say that the show is outdated, but we all know that this show is just as relevant now as it was when it first opened. And that is why we do it. That is why we spend hours upon hours rehearsing, and building, and sewing, because theatre, at its core, is how we tell stories that matter. And better yet, it is how we get people to listen. I have never been more honored to be a part of something than I am to be a part of Ragtime, even if it was in a small capacity. Being surrounded by such talented people and such an amazing show has reminded me why I love theatre so much, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
The Magic of Ragtime
April 15, 2012Written by czm2@duke.edu
I really wish I had gotten a chance to see the show from the audience, because given how powerful the show was from my back stage seat I can’t even begin to imagine how beautiful and powerful it was when you got the entire picture. And I’ve always wanted to know what happens whenever people are standing outside the Shakespeare door stage right because you can see that from back stage. Regardless, I love how you point out that this musical “puts onstage things that oftentimes we are too afraid to admit even exist.” I think a lot of times musicals get put down as purely entertainment with the occasional serious moment. But Ragtime is something completely different than most of the musicals I’ve been exposed to in my lifetime and in my experience with the show I found the greatest thing about Ragtime was that it wasn’t superficial at all. In fact, in our first few read throughs and rehearsals of the show I didn’t understand it at all, but after a little more exposure I came to realize how much Ragtime means and how well it represents that era and how well it translates to our era.