Ragtime

Winner of 4 Tony Awards and based on the 1975 best-selling book by E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime paints a nostalgic and powerful portrait of life in America at the beginning of the 20th century. The story, performed almost entirely in song, follows the distinctly different yet intricately interwoven lives of three families in turn of the century York City, poignantly illustrating the timeless contradictions of a “melting pot” society. Flaherty’s award-winning score draws upon traditional Jewish folk sounds to color the haunting music of immigrants, mixed with Vaudeville and spirited sounds of Harlem. Intermingled with the fictional characters are such historical figures as Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, and J.P. Morgan. Show-stopping tunes include “Wheels of a Dream,” “Till We Reach That Day,” “Back to Before,” “Gettin’ Ready Rag,” and the title song “Ragtime”.