The closer you look at any fractal shape, the more complex and beautiful it gets. In fact, there's a point at which you suddenly find yourself presented with an exact duplicate of the original, albeit at a much smaller scale. So it is with history. Look deeply into any particular year, and you'll discover a microcosmic view of the sweep of human existence concealed in every moment.

That's the lesson of Ragtime, a smart, hypnotic musical from playwright Terrence McNally, lyricist Lynn Ahrens (Schoolhouse Rock), and composer Stephen Flaherty, based on E. L. Doctorow's engrossing 1975 novel. Each historical character reminds you of someone on CNN. Nancy Grace would've had a field day with the murder trial of Harry Thaw, featuring "Gibson Girl" Evelyn Nesbit. You'll be hard pressed not to compare more recent trials to the life of Harlem pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr., or feel contemporary resonance as a representative Protestant family comes to accept minority members "intruding" on all-white New Rochelle. Hungarian-born Harry Houdini earns a solo as an inspiration to Latvian immigrant Tateh, alongside Henry Ford, Emma Goldman and Booker T. Washington.

The characters ease us into this intricate tapestry by referring to themselves in third person. It's an unusual device that takes time to embrace but pays dividends in Act II. It's a long play, three hours give or take, even after some numbers were trimmed from the 2009 Broadway revival. On opening night of Tacoma Musical Playhouse's second production (the first was seven years ago), early numbers were plagued by recurring sound issues and the hollow acoustics of an unfamiliar auditorium. But don't let that dissuade you, as the remainder of the show is as trenchantly absorbing as Downton Abbey.

There are 52 cast members, so my word count precludes praise for each actor who deserves it. TMP newbie Eric Clausell is smooth and charismatic as Coalhouse, and his dancing for "Gettin' Ready Rag" is a treat. Stacie Calkins returns to blow the Curtis High theater roof off as Coalhouse's old flame, Sarah. Allyson Jacobs-Lake finds welcome humanity at the core of Nesbit's chirpy veneer, and Micheal O'Hara's whimsical Tateh impresses throughout. Lark Orvick-Moore is fantastic as Goldman. Jon Rake's choreography guides us smoothly through three interwoven storylines, Protestant, Jewish and African-American, as do the show's beautiful costumes and John Chenault's evocative lighting. Will Abrahamse's two-level unit set portrays everything from a Coney Island boardwalk to the deck of Admiral Peary's ship, the Roosevelt.

Ragtime is a show about how America gets made, one sweeping change at a time, one small life at a time, one gut decision at a time. It was a work in progress a century ago and still is. You'll find yourself humming its main theme days later, hoping its idealistic characters built a nation they could love.

RAGTIME, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through Aug. 4, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Curtis High School Theater, 8425 40th St. W., University Place, $20-$29, 253.565.6867