A turn-of-the century kaleidoscope

Palpable electricity ignites “Ragtime,” opening Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities’ 12th season in Redondo Beach with regal assurance. Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ 1998 distillation of E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel receives an exceptional revival, easily the company’s best production to date.

A local smash in its 1997 U.S. premiere at the Shubert Theatre, “Ragtime” fared less conclusively on Broadway, closing after 861 performances, followed by a pared-down tour.

Although this is the template for director Robert Clater’s staging, his execution makes refreshing assets out of compressed resources. Steven Smith’s musical direction, Lesia Kaye’s choreography, Pamila Gray’s lighting, Marcy Froehlich’s augmentation of Santo Loquasto’s costumes and the uncredited sets honor the original’s contours without synthetic mimicry.

Their spare precision heightens the effect of Doctorow’s kaleidoscopic turn-of-the-century narrative. This emerges full-blown via McNally’s third-person libretto and Flaherty and Ahrens’ enthralling score (all Tony winners), starting with the title number.

This indelible showstopper brilliantly lays out the plot’s tripartite archetypes. First up: the white patricians, fronted by Father (Robert Alan Clink), Mother (Victoria Strong), her Younger Brother (Stan Chandler), Grandfather (Jack Messenger) and Doctorow-surrogate, the Little Boy (Nicholas Andrew).

Their New Rochelle idyll is interrupted by a leaping African American contingency, led by pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Kingsley Leggs) and the pivotal Sarah, mother of his child (Tonya Dixon). Then come the immigrants, typified by Jewish artist Tateh (Eric Anderson), his motherless daughter (Alison Axelrad) and their counterparts.

Threaded throughout are real-life figures Booker T. Washington (Ken Page), Evelyn Nesbit (Kirsten Benton), Harry Houdini (Michael Vodde), Emma Goldman (Cindy Benson), J.P. Morgan (Nils Anderson) and Henry Ford (Spencer Wilson). By the galvanizing conclusion, as these factions sing of “the music of something beginning/An era exploding, a century spinning,” resistance is futile.

McNally’s book goes where few shows dare, pulling bigotry, feminism and capitalistic tyranny into a sweeping panorama. There are ungainly aspects, namely over length and thematic excess, yet McNally’s command of technique is acute, and the yarn he spins couldn’t be more topical.

Ahrens and Flaherty run Scott Joplin through the Rodgers and Hammerstein mold and back again. It’s possible to fault the score for overreach and anthem overload, but its ingratiating melodies and smart word-settings are of a rarified order.

The cast is uniformly superb, with wonderful choral blend. If Leggs’ Coalhouse lacks originator Brian Stokes Mitchell’s lush vocals, his human-scaled reading is nonetheless remarkable. Dixon’s lovely Sarah mirrors his commitment, both of them shining in the gorgeous “New Music” and rocking the house with “Wheels of a Dream.” Anderson’s moving Tateh is definitive, elevating this character past the generic outlines. He especially registers with Strong’s marvelous Mother in their critical scenes together. Strong also works beautifully with Clink’s rich-voiced Father, and her soaring Act 2 “Back to Before” is the evening’s peak.

Chandler is excellent as Brother, particularly vivid with Benson’s Goldman, who suggests the young Mildred Natwick. Andrew and Axelrad are entrancing child actors; Benton’s Nesbit and Vodde’s Houdini devour their slightly trimmed roles; and Page’s Washington is dignity personified.

“Ragtime” may not be perfect, but in the face of this gloriously full-hearted production, it might as well be.

*

‘Ragtime’

Where: Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach

When: Tuesdays -Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m.

Ends: March 2

Price: $37.50 to $52.50

Contact: (310) 372-4477

Running time: 3 hours