D’Mariel Jones, left and Anthony J. Ortega, right

RICH LOPEZ | Staff Writer
rich@dallasvoice.com

These days, the “American dream” may be different from the dreams of generations that came before. Or maybe in today’s “woke” culture, it may not be a dream at all. The country still suffers from racism, homophobia and inequality, among other prejudices — to the point that legislation is created to perpetuate those notions.

So how does a classic musical about that dream stack up to today?

Ragtime tells the story of the American Dream from three different perspectives: a young African-American ragtime musician, a white, upper-class wife and a Jewish immigrant father. Despite their differences, the three discover a shared belief in their vision of America’s promise.

This weekend Lyric Stage presents Ragtime in Concert at the Majestic Theatre. The show opened Thursday, Feb. 17, and runs through Sunday, Feb. 20. Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, this production strips down the turn-of-the-century story about New York into straightforward song and music.

“It’s kinda this hybrid, because even though it’s a concert, it is still very much staged,” cast member D’Mariel Jones said. “There is choreography, and it is perhaps more like a stage version of a concert, with blocking and dramatizing.”

Jones, 23, is one of three out actors in the cast. He stars as Matthew Henson, and castmate Anthony J. Ortega, 28, stars as Harry Houdini in the production. As queer persons of color, both still find hope in the show’s message, despite how relevant some of the lyrics still are to some of today’s unpleasantries. The two actors recently discussed the show and their roles in it with Dallas Voice.

Dallas Voice: For this version of Ragtime, how are you approaching the show? Anthony Ortega: The main thing they told us about the concert is that we have the music as the focus, but we have so much more room for telling the raw story. The audience gets some kind of emotion from it without any distractions. We’re all focusing on making sure everything we are saying is conveyed.
Can you tell us about your character? Ortega: So, I am Harry Houdini and he’s this symbol of success for a lot of people coming to America. I learned that Houdini played the Majestic many times, so I’m really excited, and I just know that the energy is going to be there.

D’Mariel Jones: I play Matthew Henson, and I’m in the Harlem ensemble. I did not know my character, and I’ve seen the show. So, when I was cast, I looked it up. He was a real person. He was an explorer and this Black man doing things unheard of. working on a ship and having this position with this white captain and traveling the world. He was able to have this Black American dream and that really set him apart.

Ragtime premiered in 1996, but the songs reflect the time of the show which was early 20th century. The show is particularly about race as well as family and more, but how do you see these songs today? Do they resonate in today’s environment? Ortega: For sure, because in this story, you see how society is built to be against these people. We as queer people have made our strides, but there are still laws pertaining to or trying to pass against queer and trans rights. Even though we are a marginalized group of people, we’re still people.

Does your queer identity intersect with your race identity at all here? Jones: Funny, because I’ve thought about that — being a queer Black man in this time when people Black people are fighting for equality. It was so taboo back then. So, I think about living then and what the dream looked like for not only being Black but also queer. How can you be seen as a person and not judged also for who you love? I think a lot about that.

The “American dream” is a big theme in this show. Is that notion tainted today or do you see it still there? Jones: There are themes that we’re dealing with today. People want this dream and are not giving up on it. To me, it’s kind of sad that this takes place in 1906, and yet what these characters are going through is still going on today. But even though that’s sad at times, there’s still so much hope here.

Ortega: I like to see it as hope of what can be. I’m a brown-skinned, Latino gay man, and it can be hard for us. It’s just so difficult when you’re not “the normal” to get it. But I understand why people come here for it. We should be that country for people to find a better life here. I see hope in our country, but it’s not always great at it.

Anthony, you don’t perform just on the theatrical stage. Ortega: So, I am a drag queen. I’m Sierra LaPuerte (Editor’s Note: That translates to “shut the door” in Engllish). I started with North Texas Drag Bingo, and I’ve performed at Club Reflections and Marty’s and also around Denton.

Is there a particular difference going on stage for a show versus going onstage for drag? Ortega: You know, I still get nervous. There’s the same adrenaline even though it’s a different type of performance.

Does drag help your acting? Ortega: I think it’s helped with my improv skills. You have to be quick and always thinking as a drag queen, and that has made my acting better.

D’Mariel, you’re currently studying musical theater at TCU. What about the theater speaks to you? Jones: I love storytelling and being able to do that through song, dance and acting. It combines all these things I love, and incredible stories like Ragtime, I think, can change people’s lives and perspectives.

How do you describe your queer experience as a student and an actor? Jones: It can be hard at times. The stereotype is that we are all queer, and, sometimes people want to pigeonhole you into queer roles but never the leading or straight man role, but it’s all just acting. It can be hard to break out of your sexuality. I mean, just being a Black queer person is a whole other thing to navigate in life. The aspect of a being Black is a threat, but then queer is an additional threat. I just take it one day at a time. I have strong support, and I’m unapologetically me.

Final words on the show? Ortega: You know the ice storm stalled us, so we haven’t had as much time. But we have a strong team behind us that really was passionate and pushed us into a beautiful show. You’ll see that everyone loves this show because of how quick we were able to pull it together.

Jones: I think this show honors the struggles people of this time went through. The people of Harlem, immigrants and others living in that world. We stand on their shoulders but also continue those legacies. Everyone wants to be seen. That’s the dream.
For more information and tickets, visit LyricStage.org.