Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...This show has a company of 40 actors — a deep, deep, union bench of such formidable Chicago talent as Michael Aaron Lindner and Catherine Lord — and a setting from Depinet that re-imagines the piece as mostly taking place within a theater. That device gives the show the cohesion it often seems to lack."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...With its altogether magnificent production of “Ragtime,” the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre demonstrates beyond any doubt that the best place to find the most glorious Broadway ventures these days is a half hour’s drive west of the Loop."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The show stumbles from the start as Terrence McNally's oddly disengaged book bogs it down in exposition. And though Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Aherns deliver some ear-pleasing songs, they fall short when they strive for the big, the brilliant, and the memorable. McNally and company attempt to tell all three of the tales Doctorow wove together for his portrait of turn-of-the-century America, but only that of outraged African-American ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker (Darrington) is compelling--and then only in fits and starts."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...It's wise to be wary of any work of art branded by critics as "The Great American" to mean the best and most representative of this nation. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Ragtime deserves the laurel of "The Great American Musical," and you need only to catch Drury Lane Oak Brook's superlative and deeply moving production to see why."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...This is the musical Chicago has been waiting for and will be talking about for years to come. If you miss this extraordinary, visually and emotionally stunning musical you will regret it. This production again validates Chicago as one of the finest theatrical cities in the nation and why it's not always necessary to travel further than Oakbrook Terrace in order to see Broadway-caliber entertainment."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Visually sleek, musically lavish and dramatically astounding, this is not only the most incredible production seen at Drury Lane Oakbrook to date, but it is also one of the best musicals staged in the Chicagoland area period. You can spend three times the ticket price to see overhyped product in the Loop but you would be wasting your time, money and the incredible opportunity to see this rarely produced Tony Award-winning American classic."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...
Script troubles aside, Drury Lane delivers a lush, fabulous production, with incandescent work from Darrington, LeKae and Goodrich. Director Rockwell manages her immense cast handily. Her design team conjures up 1906 with verve, while Ben Johnson and his orchestra ably serve the rich chromatic palette of Flaherty’s score. Imperfect but often engaging, this Ragtime yields a snapshot of a nation recognizably our own: dynamic, idealistic and terminally haunted by bigotry and fear."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...At its core fibers, however, Ragtime has always been about the insistency of human transformation, both in its individual and cultural manifestations. Rockwell radiates this notion of the startlingly progressive yet cruelly repetitive quality of history in every aspect of her current paean to the era. As the ensemble mobilizes in a cakewalk during one of the musical’s final scenes, we are left with the lesson of how far we have traveled, and how long we must journey on."
7DAYS - Highly Recommended
"...This is a story that depicts some actual history and adds to it a lot of characters who were real and historical; Harry Houdini (Stef Tovar was magical in this role), Emma Goldman (Catherine Lord truly has her down pat), Evelyn Nesbit (Ms. Smart played this sexy star with just a hint of realism) and others such as J.P. Morgan and Booker T. Washington. Each of the ensemble members played a multitude of roles switching costumes (these are the originals designed by Santo Loquasto with additions by Brenda Winstead) as quickly as I have ever seen and also helping to change set pieces on this divine set designed by Kevin Depinet. The use of projections by Sage Marie Carter and the lighting effects by Jesse Klug and props by Michelle N. Warner truly make the production complete. The orchestra conducted by Ben Johnson and the musical direction by longtime local favorite Roberta Duchak are the finishing touch to a perfect production."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Ragtime is a three hour joyous celebration of the human spirit with a soaring score, wonderful singing that is staged to thrill. It is a non-stop theatrical experience that begs to be seen. Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre’s production has set a new standard for Chicago musical theatre. This production of Ragtime is testimony to Kyle DeSantis’ determination to make Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre a major force in American regional theatre. He sure is on his way. A most captivating theatrical experience awaits. Don’t miss this gem."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Under the skillful direction and choreography of Rachel Rockwell, the tempo never misses a beat. Rockwell strikes all the right notes with this multi-talented cast. Quentin Earl Darrington (Coalhouse) is the powerhouse of emotional range in song and act. His tune changes throughout the show – regret, love, vengeance. Darrington connects the audience with his story based on heart wrenching hope. His “The Wheels of a Dream” duet with Valisia LeKae (Sarah) is flawless."