It’s exciting when a show with epic scope and epic ambitions translates into epic results.

It happens in Kennedy Center’s production of Ragtime. Everything about this show is big – its soaring, steely set with no less than four staircases; its lavish costumes; the echoing sounds of its chorus and orchestral accompaniment (just hear them soar in the rousing Act I closer, “Till We Reach That Day”). The musical itself covers decades, intertwining the real-life triumphs and failures of historical figures stretching from Houdini to Henry Ford. But it also brings the story closer to home by focusing on some more down-to-earth characters – an ordinary-seeming family, a pair of immigrants and a couple of tragedy-struck African-American lovers.

When Ragtime first premiered in 1998, it was almost hard to believe it was a new musical, as it achieved kind of an instant classic status, with Stephen Flaherty’s compelling, genre-crossing melodies, Lynne Ahrens’ stirring lyrics and the thematic resonance Terence McNally brought to the adaptation. This production makes a strong argument for the show’s staying power. Its opening number (and title song) beautifully demonstrates the contrast between the show’s three main segments – the privileged white families, the Negros and the immigrants, with each group performing choreography and vocals in line with their identities.