I expected Viola Davis to blow me away (and she did), but the real find proved to be Lauren Velez as the prostitute/ragtime pianist. The electronically-operated sets were also really impressive. If I could make three modifications before the show opens, the first would be *********SPOILER********** eliminating the kiss between Esther and the socialite. It was just a cheap excuse to get the socialite out of Esther's life. Lynn Nottage -- who was eavesdropping right behind me when I discussed the play with a friend during the intermission -- could have come up with something less cliched. The second would be diversifying or decreasing the volume of the ragtime selections. Generally, they felt intrusive and out of sync with the dialogue. As for my third suggestion... Well call me crazy, but when I read about "sexual content" in the show, I was counting on Russell Hornsby removing his shirt...