The voices were excellent, the staging effective and the overall experience was transportive as “Ragtime� burst onto the stage of the White Plains Performing Arts Center last weekend in an all-too-brief “Broadway in Concert� run of the epic musical about turn-of-the-20th-century New York.

It was the first such concert version offered by the newly imagined theater in the City Center mall in downtown White Plains and it clearly demonstrated that executive director Jack Batman is setting the bar high for his new enterprise. While there were a few technical missteps, the format holds the promise for some exceptional evenings to come in White Plains.

“Ragtime� covers more ground than can be adequately described here. In a nutshell, it tells three intertwined stories:
There’s the New Rochelle WASP family where Mother (the wondrous Farah Alvin) yearns for more and Father (the appropriately rigid Patrick Porter) craves the predictability of the status quo;

There’s Harlem’s Coalhouse Walker Jr. (the amazing Jerry Dixon) and Sarah (the fine Rosena M. Hill) who seek a hopeful future for their son, but encounter nothing but tragedy and pain;

And there’s Tateh (the affecting David Villella), an immigrant who seeks success and finds it after much hardship.
The book for “Ragtime� is by Terrence McNally (“Love! Valour! Compassion!�), based on E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel. The music is by Stephen Flaherty, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens — the same team behind “Once on This Island� and “Seussical.�

Flaherty and Ahrens were in the crowd at Friday’s opening, as was actor Mario Cantone (“Sex and the City�) and Kleban-award-winning lyricists Felicia Needleman and Laurence Holzman.

What they — and those lucky to have a ticket — saw was a first-rate staged concert version of a far-reaching musical.

Unlike other concert versions — including the well-known “Encores!� at that other City Center, in Manhattan, director Sidney J. Burgoyne’s cast memorized the show: No scripts were visible.

For his set, Burgoyne employed two on-stage baby grand pianos (played with gusto by musical director James Bassi and Steven Gross and, once, by Dixon as Coalhouse), a raised walkway and three sets of stairs, with images projected onto a large screen to help set the scene.

The only opening night glitches were technical in nature: The projections proved a bit finicky and some of the body mikes crackled annoyingly. These are easily remedied and failed to hold back an otherwise first-rate production.

Trying to explain a show as large as “Ragtime� is like trying to explain a Mozart opera or even a “Seinfeld� episode. But there were some indelible performances and stage moments that are noteworthy.

Standouts were Alvin as Mother and Dixon as Coalhouse, two characters who seek fulfillment and the promise of a different kind of music, metaphorically and actually. (These roles were played on Broadway by Marin Mazzie and Brian Stokes Mitchell, who would later team up as Lilli/Kate and Fred/Petruchio in “Kiss Me, Kate.�)

Alvin is an actress of considerable talent, never out of character, always in control.

Her voice was well-suited to her several solos, from the sweet “Goodbye, My Love� in which she bids farewell to her explorer husband to “Back to Before,� when she declares her newfound voice will not be silenced again. Her duet with Villella as Tateh, “Our Children,� was as unapologetically sentimental as they come.

Alvin’s performance was subtle, charming and fully realized. And, because this was a concert version — without sets and with just the hint of costume — it was pure theater: an actress and her craft.

Equally powerful, as the tragic figure Coalhouse, was Jerry Dixon, who will direct a mainstage production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’� at WPPAC later this month.

Dixon’s rich baritone and command of the role gave Coalhouse everything he needed.

His first encounter with his infant son was a riveting mix of confusion, pride and honesty that was mesmerizing. And the scene where Coalhouse gives the Westchesterites their first taste of ragtime piano was a thing of beauty: The household was rapt, as was the audience.

Over the course of the evening, Dixon transformed Coalhouse from a man whose Model T Ford gave him hope (“Wheels of a Dream�) to a vengeful seeker of justice (“Coalhouse’s Soliloquy�) to a doomed figure concerned about the legacy he’ll leave his son (“Make Them Hear You�). In all, Dixon was believable and unforgettable.

Other notables:

• Patricia Noonan as historical figure Evelyn Nesbit — the “girl on the red velvet swing� — whose trademark “Wheeeee!� went from bubbly to faded over the course of the evening. (An actress who can get mileage out of the word “Wheeeee!� is one to watch.)

• Hill, as Sarah, the role that won Audra McDonald a Tony Award. Her solo, “Your Daddy’s Son,� was a lovely lullaby to lost love, well-sung.

• Villella as Tateh, optimistic as he arrives in America, then spewing bitter words when he is trapped in a go-nowhere job at a loom and, later, changed, as an optimistic entrepreneur. In all, a flesh-and-blood character.

Producer Batman has hinted that if the audience is there for a series of concert-version performances, he might develop one.

Memo to Batman: The audience is waiting. Let the concert series begin.

PHOTOS (By Carlos Gustavo Monroy)
Top: Jerry Dixon plays Coalhouse Walker Jr.
Middle: Farah Alvin as Mother, Zach Landes as Little Boy, Patrick Porter as Father and Brian Charles Rooney as Mother’s Younger Brother.
Bottom: David Villella as Tateh and Mikie Joy Sakanaka as Little Girl.

In the crowd
Composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens came to the White Plains Performing Arts Center on Friday to see two old friends. The first was their creation — “Ragtime.� The second was Jerry Dixon, who played Coalhouse Walker Jr.

“He was our leading man in ‘Once on This Island’ on Broadway, a spectacular voice,� said Flaherty. “And soon he’ll be directing. He’s a real renaissance man.�

Flaherty said the WPPAC production of “Ragtime� reminded him of the way he and Ahrens developed the musical.

“It’s great, this two-piano version,� he said, “because that’s how we did all our readings and workshops.�

Ahrens said the musical, which got a lavish production on Broadway — complete with a Model T. Ford and fireworks — has found life on a smaller scale in subsequent productions.

“They do it small,� she said. “We’ve seen it once or twice like this, and it’s really wonderful. Wonderful voices, a beautiful production, so simple, spare and smart.�

Next: “Ain’t Misbehavin’�
Where: White Plains Performing Arts Center, City Center mall, Main Street at Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains.
When: Feb. 28 to March 16.
Tickets: $40 to $50.
Call: 914-328-1600.
Web: www.wppac.com.