Ragtime

An epic musical in a new jewel box production, Ragtime is a nostalgic and powerful portrait of life in turn of the century America. Based on E.L. Doctorow’s distinguished novel, Ragtime intertwines three distinct stories that poignantly illustrate history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and love and hate.

The score — featuring lyrics by Lynn Aherns and music by Stephen Flaherty — is just as diverse as the Melting Pot of America that it seeks to recreate. It draws upon traditional Jewish folk sounds to color the haunting music and yearning lyrics of the immigrants, Vaudeville’s outrageous style, and Joplin and Jazz to invoke the enlivened spirit of Harlem.

With a book by Terrance McNally, this 1998 Tony award winning show for best score, book, and orchestrations, features such show stopping songs as “Getting Ready Rag,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Wheels of a Dream,” “Till We Reach That Day,” “Back To Before,” and “Make Them Hear You.”

L. Walter Stearns directs, with music direction by Eugene Dizon.