INTERVIEW: ‘Ragtime,’ still timely, plays Barrington Stage Company
Ragtime, one of the most celebrated musicals in the past few decades, continues to be seen around the world in regional and local productions. The dramatic piece of theater — featuring the work of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty — offers portraits of people and communities struggling in the United States.
The most recent production is the one being mounted at the Barrington Stage Company in Downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Directed by Joe Calarco and running through July 15, the staging focuses on the winds of change in the early part of the 20th century. At the center of the narrative is Tateh, played by J. Anthony Crane.
Crane is a versatile actor who has been on Broadway in The Country House, Sight Unseen, Butley and The Winslow Boy. Other theatrical credits include Modern Orthodox, The Brothers Karamazov, Cyrano and Watch on the Rhine. His TV and film experience includes Chicago PD, Madam Secretary, Elementary and The Big Easy.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Crane about the show and his role. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
When did you know that a life in the theater was a life you wanted to pursue?
My senior year in high school I got to play both Shakespeare’s Richard III and also Harold Hill in The Music Man. I know, quite ambitious for 17 years old. I thought, if I can tell stories like this for the rest of my life, I don’t need much else. That lasted, luckily, until I actually made enough money to feed myself. And then the concept actually made some sense. I love the people I meet and work with in this field. They are the superheroes.
How do you approach the role of Tateh?
My own family immigrated from the northern European Jewish shtetls mentioned in the play during this exact period, so that was a start. I tried to imagine a father’s grief at losing his wife and then feeling the deep reality of protecting his daughter in the already dangerous environment of the play, but who is also an artist who creates art to deliver her to a happy life. I always want to tell the stories of people who don’t beg for your sympathy, but work, and fight, and exult to overcome circumstances with incredible persistence. That is the quality of Tateh that keeps me coming back — his resilience, and his search for joy in the face of despair.
Did you have to do any research about the early 20th century and New York City?
I read quite a bit about Jacob Riis and the tenement period of the Lower East Side. I also looked at Hal Roach’s life story and the advent of film and especially the Our Gang films. I ended up watching Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid on repeat and imagining Ragtime as a silent film comedy.
What do you believe the message of Ragtime is for a 2017 audience?
The message is simple. There was a progressive era in America. It was 100 years ago. The idea of progress was to continue to reach higher forms of the society, more equal, better equipped to improve the whole. In 2017, there is obviously a desire to sprint back to an era before certain privileged groups were asked to allow others to exist and have an opportunity to thrive, to live up to the promise of America. If these exclusive powers … choose to end progress, as they are currently attempting, we can only hope for the same squalor, inequality, and injustice that the play depicts.
How has it been working with director Joe Calarco?
Directing a musical is like operating an aircraft carrier on Fleet Day. You’re landing planes, moving troops and also keeping the flags waving high and beautifully over the deck. I think he asked us to dig deep to find what what we knew about these stories without needing the constant approval of a parent. He trusted us, and the result is a lovely collaboration of artists and performers. It’s an environment with a distinct tone and visual style that was presented to the actors as a sublime gift, and that we all feel, and which elevates the work.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Ragtime plays through July 15 at the Barrington Stage Company in Downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and tickets.
