Broadway’s ‘Ragtime’ trumpets American ideals with mighty highs, a few lows

It succeeds on the merits of the material and the powerhouse principal cast reprising their roles. Director Lear DeBessonet, in her first show as artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, makes some appealing use of the grand canvas, a promising sign for her upcoming tenure. But the production doesn’t always benefit from these bold strokes, which underline the pitfalls of a narrative told through archetypes and melodrama.