You all know how much I love Thom
Sutherland, I gushedly blogged my admiration a few years ago after seeing his production of Mack and Mabel at Southwalk Playhouse. Well since then his star
has been in ascendance - justifiably so – from awards, to Broadway and now
Artistic Director of The Charing Cross Theatre. (The Players to us thesbs of
the naughties!)
Working with Thom years ago I was inspired
by his passion, the rewards of which are constantly seen in his emotionally
driven productions. You can be in any space and he will tug upon your heart
strings, revealing the fundamental human story within a long lost musical or classic
tale -memories of heaving sobs (The Notebook style) sitting in Catford watching
the final moments of Carousel prove my point perfectly.
In recent years I have taken myself
off on solo dates to see his work, there really is nothing more pleasant than a
solo culture date; spending time with yourself, expanding your mind and enriching your
soul should be on the NHS, but it can be equally pleasant to share a theatrical date
with a rather lovely gentleman. If only so you can have someone to debrief and
bat opinions about with afterwards!
This is where I found myself on
Monday night – the press night for Thom’s new production of Ragtime with the
aforementioned lovely gentleman. The theatre was as hot as the themes Ragtime
explores; racial tensions, immigration, prejudiced society, changing
perceptions and dreams for a better life. Surely there isn’t a more relevant piece
of musical theatre in London at present to shine a light upon our current sad
state of affairs? It felt quite shaming to watch Tateh and his daughter arrive
on the boat full of hopes and dreams only to see them met with wary looks and
challenges......
And that’s where Thom is clever – by
getting down to the basic human stories of a piece without the bells and
whistles, leaves an audience free to reflect upon how the human condition hasn’t
really changed. It’s not just Ibsen, Shakespeare and Chekhov who do this, musical
theatre can too. One of the best moments in this production is as the company
surround the audience at the end of Act One, the lyrics of Till We Reach That
Day resonate beautifully and don't allow us to escape the potency of the
message. This production should be compulsory viewing to our government, Brexit
voters and potentially voters on November 8th, we can all be reminded
of Tateh’s dream for the perfect movie from time to time.
So is this production any good? I
have to admit that Ragtime isn’t in my top 10 musicals but with Thom’s touch it
works; his direction is fluid aided by the fantastic, ever-changing, set. Using
actor-musos works perfectly to bring the Ragtime to life; it’s a topical trend
but never fails to be awe-inspiring to watch these insanely talented folk.
Howard Hudson does yet another incredible job with the lighting – creating filmic images with shadows and gloom to guide the action, he really is a clever man.
For me, Earl Carpenter as Father steals focus; my Javert from our 2009 cast hasn’t lost any of his statuesque,
commanding presence. I bloomin’ love his voice, rich and powerful and a welcome
addition to this score. I can’t really recall the Father character from previous
Ragtime productions, Earl’s performance made me understand it much better; What
A Game is a masterclass in understatement and scene-stealing. He is constantly
thinking and doesn’t need to display Father’s turmoil, it is just there in his
eyes; indeed I barely watched Anita Louise Combe’s powerful final verse of Back
To Before (wonderful vocals) because of the compelling stillness and pent up
sadness of Father downstage right, this was the one moment of the show when I
welled up. There’s a reason why certain performers endure, my gentleman put it
perfectly “he is the Rolls Royce of performers...” reliable, classy and classic.
But enough about Earl! Ragtime is
yet another hit to add to Thom’s increasing repertoire and it is so worthy of a
watch. Take yourself on a solo culture date or go with someone who makes your
heart smile but just go and enjoy the score, the performances and the message.
It’s gonna sell out quicker than Glastonbury after all those 5* reviews, so
hurry up!
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