As we were leaving Goodspeed after having seen Rags, An American Musical my friend turned to me and said, “This really made me think about my mother’s experiences and her parents.”

So true.

This story of Russian Jewish immigrants on New York City’s lower east side in the early 1900s is likely to get many people thinking about the experiences of their parents and grandparents coming to this country.

The musical centers on Rebecca Hershkowitz, who, with her young son David, arrives at Ellis Island to make a new life for themselves. On the ship she has met a younger girl, Bella, and ends up living with Bella’s father, aunt, and uncle in a tenement on the Lower East Side. They, along with Ben Levitowitz, work from the home (a tiny three-room flat), sewing pre-cut material into ladies’ dresses. Downstairs lives Sal, an Italian Catholic union organizer.

Three romances (or four, depending on how you characterize it) are the driving force for the show. Bella quickly falls for Ben, an aspiring song writer (think Irving Berlin), while a widow in the neighborhood sets her sights on Avram, Bella’s father. Rebecca is courted by two men: Max Bronfman, the owner of the factory, and Sal.

Rags, which plays through Sunday, Dec. 10, is both an old and a new musical.

The original Rags, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Joseph Stein, originally opened on Broadway in 1986. Everyone agreed the score was glorious, but the book had problems.

Since then, Strouse and Schwartz (with Stein before he died in 2010), made some revisions that resulted in regional productions.

Putting it in Perspective

But the Goodspeed production is more than just a revision. David Thompson, whose multiple credits include the book for the revival of Chicago, has totally restructured the plot and rewritten the book. Songs have moved, have been given to different characters, have been taken out, and have been used in other songs; lyrics have been changed. Director Rob Ruggiero has been an integral part of the process.

Certainly the book is tighter than it was and perhaps more focused. I’m not sure all the changes were either necessary or the best options. This is very much still a work in progress. By the time I saw it, there had been several significant changes in songs and scenes from those listed in the original program.

Still, while I may disagree with some of the choices and believe that more work is still necessary, this is a production that is enjoyable and compelling. It seems with our national debate over immigration, a show like Rags that looks back at the same situations a century ago helps us put it all in perspective.

While the show has the traditional romantic complications, it is the songs and the texture of the piece that will capture you. As the new immigrants arrive, a quintet of affluent Americans sing deridingly of these “Greenhorns” who are viewed as ignorant, uncivilized, and just waiting to be taken advantage of. This quintet reappears throughout the show, reinforcing the idea that they consider immigrants inherently inferior to people they believe to be “true Americans.”

But the resistance to these impoverished Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe is not limited to just the upper-class, native-born New Yorkers. Max Bronfman is also a Jewish immigrant. Though he declares himself German, though he may run a successful business and dress handsomely, he also is not entirely accepted, because of his religion.

Rags doesn’t sugar coat the problems these and all immigrants faced. Neighborhoods are fiercely protective and when Bella and Rebecca walk through the Irish area they are as derided as anywhere else. David, Rebecca’s young son, is beat up when he goes into an adjacent neighborhood.

Yet, despite the hardships, the show also lauds the immigrants’ spirit as they endure poverty, limited food, terrible working conditions, along with an unwelcoming and strange society as they retain their fierce belief in the American dream.

High Praise from Aficionados

The music of Rags was the highlight of the original show and it remains so. A number of songs were removed and several new songs were written for the new version; in addition, some melodies received new lyrics, and some deleted songs were transformed into other numbers.

But the original score had two songs that received high praise from Broadway aficionados. The first is the title song “Rags,” which is not your uplifting title tune. It is a realistic look by Rebecca of not only what Americans think of these newcomers but also of what their lives are really like. The second, “Children of the Wind,” is a beautiful melody that gets a brief rendition in the first act and a full rendition at the finale. Strouse has drawn inspiration from the musical genres of the period—ragtime and others as well as the klezmer music of Eastern Europe. The result is a blend totally fitting for the show.

The performances are uniformly good. Samantha Massell has a terrific voice as Rebecca, the main character; though the romantic triangle seems somewhat forced. Sara Kapner is luminous as the younger Bella, who views the future with such optimism. Adam Heller plays her father, Avram, as a Tevye-like figure. Lori Wilner plays Rachel, the widow who has set her sights on Avram, as a warm and knowing woman. She has the delightful song “Three Sunny Rooms.”

Rebecca’s two suitors are a study in contrasts. David Harris, who last year played the father in the TheaterWorks production of Next to Normal, is Max Bronfman, He is debonair, charming, and needs more songs. Sal, the Italian union organizer, shows off Sean MacLaughlin’s strong voice and virile good looks. He is included in several songs.

Part of the reason this show is a success is the set by Michael Schweikardt. If you have ever visited the Tenement Museum on New York’s Lower East Side (and I highly recommend it), you will feel as though you have been transported back to it. He has given us the entire cramped apartment where the family lives, sleeps, and works. He is aided by the projection designs by Luke Cantarella. In addition, Linda Cho has created period costumes for the entire economic strata represented in the show. High praise goes to director Rob Ruggiero, an integral part with this revision with the authors, who put it on the Goodspeed stage, allowing us to experience the despair, the hardships, and the joys of these people. It reflects his sensitivities and his ability to make characters come to life.

Rags may not yet be a perfect show, but it is a show that is both enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Rags, An American Musical plays at the Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street, East Haddam, through Sunday, Dec. 10. For tickets, visit Goodspeed.org or call 860-873-8668.