Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Still, when you see a "Ragtime" with an excellent cast, there always is much to appreciate. Aside from Thomas, who is phenomenal, there is a most interesting performance from Benjamin Magnuson as Tateh. It's a piece of acting shorn of the usual Broadway sentimentalism, a deeper-than-usual dive into the immigrant persona, a more honest Tateh, you might say, but mercifully not one devoid of belief in an idea. Kathy Voytko, who plays the middle-aged white woman whose eyes progressively are opened, sings her role and its exquisite ballads with great beauty. But the emotional life of this quietly radical, ultimately revolutionary woman seems muted: There is not enough fire in her deeply seated belief - right, wrong, not the point - that the wheels are spinning in the right direction."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...The funeral is for a person of color, and as rage and defiance explodes from the song's broken heart, you may well find a tragic contemporary litany scrolling through your mind. Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Freddie Gray. Tamil Rice. Amadou Diallo. Emmett Till. The list goes endlessly, brutally on. Anchored by the magnificent vocals of soloist Keirsten Hodgens, the 1908 funeral of "Ragtime" screams with urgency. In director Nick Bowling's beautifully rendered production, the musical is equal parts powerful storytelling, timeliness and achingly gorgeous harmonies."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...For Marriott's "Ragtime," audiences are greeted by an installation of ripped-apart pianos suspended around the stage in a likely nod to British conceptual artist Cornelia Parker. She has notoriously blown up structures and reassembled them as if in mid-explosion, and these hovering piano pieces by scenic designer Jeff Kmiec prove to be a clever visual foreshadowing of a "Ragtime" plot point."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Nick Bowling and company have filled this show with first-rate talent. The ensemble is terrific, the set inventive, the costumes gorgeous, the orchestra superb, and the results are . . . not bad. The story still takes forever to get going, and the Hollywood ending (the show literally ends in Hollywood) still feels tacked on in order to make us forget the tragic ending of Coalhouse Walker Jr.’s tale."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...In the last few weeks, many openings have been productions where the story involves race relations of some type. “Ragtime” based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, is a beautifully told story about three families, from different backgrounds and how their paths crossed during the turn of the century (the turn from the 1800’s to the 1900’s). They are all in search of “the American Dream” and in this musical piece written by Terrence McNally with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, we get to view how this all comes to be. The good, the bad and as it turns out, the ugly phases of the three families."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...If you miss this production it will indeed be “The Crime of the Century;” but treating yourself to this production, one of the finest musicals ever to play Broadway, or the Marriott stage, will offer an emotional ride of a lifetime on “The Wheels of a Dream.” The savvy theatergoer will find parallels in our current unfortunately backward political climate of this country. In Marriott’s stellar production, audiences of all ages will be moved by an experience that will provoke goosebumps, laughter and a few tears. It ranks as one of this theatre’s finest productions, offering a magnificent evening that audiences will never forget."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...A successful production requires the melding of singing, dancing, and acting, with most exhillarating dancing emerging from the black characters doing their exuberant ragtime high stepping. The Marriott cast meets all challenges. First among equals is Nathaniel Stampley as a bold, assertive Coalhouse Walker. This is a heroic role and Stampley plays it heroically, with his booming expressive voice and commanding presence. Benjamin Magnuson is a superlative Tateh, navigating his character through the early difficulties of assimilating into American life. The musical, like the novel, does not stint on portraying the plague of ethnic and racial intolerance that churned as a virulent undercurrent in American society."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Yes, this Ragtime is no ordinary trip to the theatre. Audiences enter Marriott’s in-the-round setting expecting a mere musical; instead, they’re given a pitch perfect master class in historical sociology and, most of them being white and privileged like me, a mirror to encourage (I say require) a little self reflection."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...The Marriott Theatre group consistently produces high quality, lavish shows and Ragtime is no exception. I saw the Broadway production when it ran in Chicago in 1996, and this production equals or surpasses it. As soon as the first chord is struck, a colorful, lively world emerges. The theater’s in-the-round structure further immerses us in life at the turn of the century, when such titans of industry as J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford were changing the face of the country. But all the cheerful music and pretty pastels don’t hide the racial and cultural tensions just under the surface."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended
"...Audiences can enjoy the musical 'Ragtime' with is book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty without knowing where its theme and main rhythm were born. The tales are compelling as are the show's superb voices."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...This is easily one of the best plays that I have ever seen at the usually reliable Marriott Theatre. It is also an important one. Noted for more traditional fare (this season also brings us Oklahoma and Holiday Inn), the Marriott often excels in the unexpected. Past productions of plays like Les Miserables and even Miss Saigon were thrilling to watch in the small, intimate space."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Marriott’s RAGTIME is an impassioned cry for intersectionality as it reflects issues still prevalent today. Though RAGTIME might not be a good pick for someone who likes to leave their politics at the door, it’s a good pick for anyone who loves shows that engage with our current culture."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Ahrens and Flaherty’s ambitious epic “Ragtime” is perhaps the finest musical produced in the nineties. Based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, “Ragtime” is a historic fiction meditating on the explosive collision between class and race at the turn of the twentieth century. It’s one of those musicals still loved by folks who dislike musicals: bold, stunning, tragic and hauntingly apt. And the remarkably beautiful production currently at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire brings the complexities of the script to gorgeous, thriving life."
