EAST HADDAM — There has been a recent resurgence of the 1998 Broadway musical Ragtime, and rightfully so. This beautiful show, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, could not be more timely. Its legacy lives on in Goodspeed Opera House’s powerful new production.

Based on the E.L. Doctorow novel of the same name, Ragtime tells the story of the melting pot of people and ideas that was the early 20th Century and the promises and pitfalls of chasing the American dream. Three main stories are interwoven together: the black experience in Harlem, an upper middle class white family in New Rochelle, and eastern European immigrants newly arrived to New York City. Throw in a dash of real life characters including Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman and Harry Houdini and you have an unforgettable and emotional story you will be thinking about long after you leave the theater.

The show is as sprawling as Doctorow’s novel itself, covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time. For such a large and lavish musical, Director Christopher Betts has done a remarkable job fitting this huge show onto the small Goodspeed stage without losing any of its impact.

Michael Wordly takes on the iconic role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. Worldly is the perfect Coalhouse both in his powerhouse voice and in the book scenes of the show. A man conflicted and wanting both justice and doing the right thing for his family, Coalhouse is not an easy character to bring to life.

Colahouse is courting Sarah, played here, beautifully, by Brennyn Lark. Lark provides soaring vocals that bring the house down. Lark and Wordly’s “Wheels of a Dream” is a major highlight of the show.

Gracing the Goodspeed stage once again, after her incredible performance last season in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, is Broadway vet Mamie Parris. Once again, Parris does not disappoint. The emotional depth she brings to the character of Mother is absolutely heartbreaking. Her rendition of the song “Back to Before” in Act 2 is an almost transcendent experience.

David Gordon brings humor and heart to the role of Tateh, the European immigrant looking to make a name for himself and a life for his young daughter in America.

Other highlights include Mia Gerachis as the original famous-for-being-famous it girl, Evelyn Nesbit; Blair Goldberg as the political activist Emma Goldman; Stephen Tewksbury as both Grandfather and Willie Conklin; and Jonathan Cobrda as Harry Houdini.

As noted, this is a huge show and that is nowhere more evident than the 20+ person ensemble. Each actor tackles a variety of roles throughout the show. There is not enough room to praise each and every one of them individually, but each deserves it. The power in this show is its sense of community and the audience can feel that radiating from the stage.

Overall this is a fabulously executed production. Its timely relevance energizes and delights the audience. Missing this production would be, as Evelyn Nesbit puts it, the Crime of the Century.

Goodspeed’s production of Ragtime runs through June 15. Tickets and more information can be found at goodspeed.org.

The timely relevance of Ragtime, a huge show with more than 20 actors in its ensemble, has been given new energy with the current production at Goodspeed Opera House. —Diane Sobolewski photo