"RAGTIME" The National Theatre Through August 9 (202) 628-6161 reviewed by David Sobelsohn

The dawn of the 20th century found America on the brink of seismic change. American culture was starting to reflect a recent flood of immigrants. Many listened to fellow immigrant Emma Goldman and organized labor unions. In 1903 the film "The Great Train Robbery" ushered in the century's dominant art form--which American immigrants would come to control.

It was an age of invention and discovery. In 1908 Henry Ford revolutionized transportation with the Model T, the first car affordable to average Americans. The following year, Admiral Robert E. Peary returned from the Arctic and declared himself the first man to have reached the North Pole. It was also an era of racial tension. 1909 saw the founding of the NAACP. Meanwhile, the first generation of free African-Americans were introducing white America to new musical forms: jazz, blues, and ragtime.

The musical "Ragtime," at the National Theatre through August 9, brings to vivid life America in the first dozen years of this century. Based on E.L. Doctorow's celebrated novel, Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning book weaves together the stories of three American families: one white and middle-class, the second immigrant and Jewish, the third African-American and marginalized. McNally and Doctorow treat these characters as archetypes. Indeed, only the African-Americans have names--Coalhouse Walker and Sarah--while the whites and immigrants have such labels as "Father," "Mother," "The Little Boy," and "Tateh" (Yiddish for "papa"). "Ragtime" begins with a brilliant prologue.

Told from The Little Boy's point of view, main characters introduce themselves and their stories, against a background of three separate groups--white, immigrant, and black--singing the title song. Through 18 scenes and an epilogue, we follow these characters from New York City to New Rochelle, from Lawrence, MA, to Atlantic City, as history unfolds around and among them. Peary and Father launch a polar expedition; Ford oversees production of Coalhouse's first car. In the dawning celebrity culture, Evelyn Nesbit parlays the sensational murder of her ex-lover Stanford White into a vaudeville career, exciting the affections of Mother's Younger Brother, who then (in a scene reminiscent of "Waiting for Lefty") finds inspiration in a fiery speech by Emma Goldman.

The white family follows the career of master escapist (and model immigrant) Harry Houdini, while Coalhouse diligently reads the reconciliatory pamphlets of black educator Booker T. Washington. This interweaving of the lives of historical figures with fictional characters sometimes makes the plot seem contrived. Moreover, the irony can be heavy-handed, the dialogue contains linguistic anachronisms (such as references to blacks as "people of color"), and the epilogue shows a near-saccharine sentimentality. Still, while the story sprawls, it also engages, and with all its density is surprisingly easy to follow, thanks largely to McNally's book.

But musicals live or die on their music. Here "Ragtime" succeeds superbly. Stephen Flaherty's score (also a Tony Award-winner) includes stirring anthems ("Make Them Hear You"), moving ballads ("Sarah Brown Eyes"), and mournful hymns ("Your Daddy's Son"). The music has echoes of Copland, strains of Sondheim, bits of klezmer and soul, and even allusions to Kander & Ebb ("Chicago") and George M. Cohan. The title song's melody periodically resurfaces, much as "Ol' Man River" floats through "Show Boat." Each song (with clever lyrics by Lynn Ahrens) perfectly matches its scene, moving seamlessly into dialogue and back again. Its music gives "Ragtime" the feel of an apotheosis, a summing-up of a century of American musical theater. Most of the cast does the score justice, especially Cris Groenendaal (Father), Alton Fitzgerald White (Coalhouse Walker), and the company in many ensemble numbers. With a voice like molten silver, Darlesia Cearcy (Sarah) does even better. Only Theresa Tova (Emma Goldman) can't quite match the demands of the score, but she more than compensates with splendid acting in a largely narrative role. Rebecca Eichenberger makes a fine Mother, a woman headed towards independence, and White does well as Coalhouse, a polite, dapper, articulate, conservative man whom a racist society turns into a revolutionary. Melissa Dye brings just the right mix of sexy cuteness and weary cynicism to Evelyn Nesbit; Bernie Yvon (with help from real-life illusionist Franz Harary) displays flawless timing as Houdini; Allan Louis convinces as the formal, prim, platitudinous Booker T. Washington. But Groenendaal can't quite bring out the nuances in Father, making a cardboard villain out of a character who could be played sympathetically.

This production bears comparison with anything you'd see on Broadway. Santo Loquasto's costumes respect the period while wonderfully blending colors in a kaleidoscopic reflection of where America was headed in the 20th century. Production designer Eugene Lee has provided glorious sets, sometimes realistic but often combining symbolism with a marvelous subtlety and grace. Frank Galati (director) and Graciela Daniele (musical staging) deserve overall credit for an experience most in the audience--including quite a few children--will long remember. "Ragtime" doesn't quite match "Show Boat" (now at the Kennedy Center) as the Great American Musical. But here at the other end of the century, "Ragtime" does a terrific job of summarizing the story of America and the modern American musical in the 20th century. For information about the National Theatre see their web site at http://nationaltheatre.org/