By Nadia Gutierrez, Latino Today Staff Writer

A delightfully heartwarming play has arrived at the PCPA.

“Ragtime,” by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, is a musical epic that paints a nostalgic and probing portrait of life in America at the turn of the 20th century.

At the beginning of the play, each character appears on stage and explains who they are in third person. Each character is completely different from one another, varying from recent immigrant to professional pianist, but the character’s explanations paint a picture of their hardships for the audience to understand.

The audience is left to wonder exactly how each character is connected as the play jumps to different events the each character is experiencing. Eventually, the audience comes to find that the musical melds three distinct stories that poignantly illustrate history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and love and hate.

Director Mark Booher said, “ The story ‘Ragtime,’ like the musical form, is full of surprises – unexpected rhythms, unexpected sensibilities, and unexpected connection.”

The production is filled with some of PCPA’s best actors who delivered nothing less than a stellar show on opening night.

Featured is Equity Guest Artist David St. Louis whose credits include Broadway productions of “Rent”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Harlem Song” numerous regional theatre credits, and film and TV appearances on “Law and Order,” “One Life to Live” and “Trigger Effect.” St. Louis did an exceptional job playing the dramatic roll of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a character who is troubled by the racism in America and the death of his wife.

Resident Artist Elizabeth Stuart played her role as Mother perfectly, conveying her character’s empathy for everyone. Other Resident Artists in the play include Michael Jerkinson as Younger Brother, Andrew Philpot as Tateh, Corey Jones as Booker T. Washington and Peter S. Hadres as Henry Ford.

Andrew Philpot did a phenomenal job playing Tateh, a Jewish immigrant. He carefully and humorously conveyed the hardships that immigrants faced at the time with their misconception of America as the place where everyone becomes successful.

Other great performances were given by Michael Tremblay who played Father, Resident Artist Kiera O’ Neil who played the perky Evelyn Nesbit, Bree Murphy who played Emma Goldman and Mekia Cox who played Coalhouse’s lover, Sarah.

There is a great incorporation of humor throughout the play, but some may not be suited for young children.