When the first notes of “Ragtime” rise from the orchestra pit at Amarillo Little Theatre, they’ll mark the culmination of a long-held dream for Managing Artistic Director Jason Crespin.
“It’s a show we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Crespin said. “It’s challenging — musically, thematically, and in the way it asks both performers and audiences to reflect on what America stands for. But it’s also a story about hope, acceptance, and the power of dreams.”
Opening Nov. 6, “Ragtime” will appear on the ALT stage for the first time. The production brings together more than 50 cast and crew members and, for the first time in ALT’s history, a 25-piece live orchestra — one of the largest ever assembled for a local musical.
“Normally, our pit has maybe 10 or 11 musicians,” Crespin said. “This time, we’re doing the full Broadway orchestration. It’s going to sound incredible.”
The orchestra will perform from a raised platform built into the scenic backdrop of the stage, visible to the audience and fully integrated into the show’s visual design.
A story about the American dream
Based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel, “Ragtime” tells three intertwining stories set at the dawn of the 20th century — a Harlem pianist named Coalhouse Walker Jr., a white upper-class family from New Rochelle, and a Jewish immigrant and his young daughter arriving at Ellis Island.
“There’s the African American story, the immigrant story, and the upper-class story — all colliding at this moment in history,” Crespin said. “It shows how these groups’ lives intersect in ways that still feel relevant today.”
Alongside its fictional characters, “Ragtime” features historical figures such as Booker T. Washington, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan — each reflecting the contradictions of early American life.
“Even though the show was written in the late ’90s about the early 1900s,” Crespin said, “its messages about justice, belonging and the American dream could’ve been written today.”
The musical “Ragtime,” with a script featuring a book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, began in Toronto in 1996 before moving to Los Angeles and Broadway in 1998. The original production earned 13 Tony nominations and won four, including Best Score and Best Book.
A 2009 Broadway revival earned renewed acclaim for its minimalist staging and emotional depth, and the show remains a favorite among regional and community theaters for its musical power and social resonance.
Bringing Coalhouse to life
For Amarillo performer Devlon Jones, who plays Coalhouse Walker Jr., the show’s message hits close to home.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting into at first,” Jones said. “Then one night during rehearsal, another character called me the n-word — and it just hit me. Tears started falling. It opened a whole avenue of feelings. Suddenly, I understood what this story was really about — justice, pain, dignity.”
Jones, who has starred in ALT productions such as “Dreamgirls,” “Aida” and “Smokey Joe’s Café,” said the moment stopped everyone in their tracks.
“They paused rehearsal because it got so intense,” he said. “But that’s what makes this story powerful. It’s not just a play — it’s real life. We’re still seeing injustice, we’re still crying out to be heard.”
For Jones, “Ragtime” mirrors current headlines as much as history.
“You think about people like Breonna Taylor or George Floyd, or how immigrants are treated — it’s the same pain,” he said. “My hope is that this play helps people understand what others go through and teaches us to treat each other with compassion.”
A musician himself, Jones connects deeply with Coalhouse’s pride and self-respect.
“He’s not just a pianist — he’s a man of dignity,” Jones said. “People sometimes call me ‘uppity,’ but it’s just confidence and respect. Coalhouse refuses to be less than who he is, and I love that about him.”
A role years in the making
While Jones brings raw emotional power to “Ragtime’s” struggle for justice, longtime ALT performer Annika Spalding channels the show’s heart through her portrayal of “Mother.”
“I’ve been a theater kid my entire life,” Spalding said. “I have vivid memories of listening to the original Broadway cast recording — it was a double-disc CD. I’d lock myself in the bathroom and sing along until my little brother had the whole thing memorized.”
Now she performs the same score she once sang along to as a child — joined onstage by her husband, Brett, who plays Tateh, and their 8-year-old daughter, Liv, who plays Tateh’s little girl.
“Getting to do this show with my family is magical,” Spalding said. “For Brett and me to share our love of theater with our daughter and do it all together is really special.”
Spalding, who has starred in ALT productions of “Cinderella,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Les Misérables” and “Waitress,” said her connection to the story is personal.
“My father was a Swedish immigrant who came to the U.S. in the 1970s,” she said. “I have a special place in my heart for immigrant stories, and this one feels deeply personal.”
She also spent a decade performing professionally, including touring with “The Phantom of the Opera.” Her first roommate on tour, Ann Kanengeiser, understudied the original “Mother” in Broadway’s “Ragtime.”
“I listened to her sing that role growing up,” Spalding said. “She ended up being a bridesmaid in my wedding. To now be playing the same part she once covered makes this experience even more meaningful.”
Confronting hard truths
Both Jones and Spalding said “Ragtime” asks audiences to face uncomfortable truths — but that’s part of the show’s purpose.
“There’s strong language and symbolic violence, but we’re doing the show as written,” Crespin said. “Our cast told me they’d be upset if I took those words out, because that would erase part of the truth. We’re honoring history while handling it with care.”
Spalding agreed.
“It’s a difficult story,” she said. “It deals with racial violence, discrimination and division — but also hope and unity. I’ve never made a change in my life without feeling uncomfortable first. That’s what this show asks of us — to sit with discomfort and come out more compassionate.”
ALT’s legacy of storytelling
Founded in 1927, Amarillo Little Theatre is one of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in Texas. Over the years, it has staged major productions such as “Les Misérables,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Sound of Music” and “Beauty and the Beast,” balancing crowd favorites with socially conscious works.
After directing crowd-pleasers like “Frozen” and “Dreamgirls,” Crespin said “Ragtime” represents a deeper kind of storytelling.
“This one’s not just entertainment,” he said. “It’s a reminder of who we are and who we can become.”
Spalding echoed that message.
“It’s the first show of our season that doesn’t have a familiar title,” she said. “But with this orchestra and this cast, it’s going to be something really special — something people take home and think about long after the curtain falls.”
For Crespin, Spalding and Jones, “Ragtime” isn’t just a musical — it’s a mirror, showing audiences both the beauty and the unfinished work of the American story.
If you go
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: ALT’s ‘Ragtime’ delivers epic music and timely themes
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
