Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Houdini all feature prominently in both the novel and the musical. Real historical figures such as Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, J.P. Published in 1975, Ragtime, the novel, itself is historical fiction inspired by actual events in New York City at the turn of the 20th Century. In 1994, Canadian theatrical producer Garth Drabinsky secured permission to musicalize the Doctorow's story. The show received rave reviews in the British press. The British producer Sonia Friedman transferred the show, with several cast changes, to the Picadilly Theatre in London's West End, where it opened on March 19, 2003.īoth the Cardiff concert and the West End productions were directed by Stafford Arima, who created a modernistic and streamlined interpretation of the show, using only black chairs to represent the piano, the Model T, the railing of a ship, etc, proving that the show could be produced without the huge scenic effects for which it had been known in its original Broadway incarnation. The concert was subsequently broadcast on television, and starred Maria Friedman as Mother, Graham Bickley as Tateh, Laurence Hamilton as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., Dave Willets as Father, and Kenita Miller as Sarah. The text was revised slightly to allow the show to be done with minimal sets and props. This version of Ragtime was first prepared by the authors for its European premiere as a concert version, staged as part of the first International Festival of Musical Theatre, which was held in Cardiff (Wales, UK) from October 13 to November 3, 2002.
Ragtime broadway full#
A truly unique and powerful portrait of America, Ragtime is sure to inspire actors and audiences alike!Ĭlick here to read the full synopsis of the show! The Tony-winning score is just as diverse as the melting pot of America itself, drawing upon many musical styles from the ragtime rhythms of Harlem and Tin Pan Alley to the klezmer of the Lower East Side, from bold brass band marches to delicate waltzes, from up-tempo banjo tunes to period parlor songs and expansive anthems. Together they confront history's timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and what it means to live in America. Set in the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together - that of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician - united by their courage, compassion and belief in the promise of the future. Called by Time Magazine "A triumph for the stage," and by the International Herald Tribune "the best musical in twenty years," this acclaimed musical is filled with pageantry, emotion and hope, bursting onto the stage like no other musical.Īt the dawn of a new century, everything is changing… and anything is possible. Doctorow's distinguished novel, Ragtime is the winner of the 1998 Tony Awards for Best Score, Book and Orchestrations, and both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and Best Score. Written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once On This Island, Seussical and Lucky Stiff), noted playwright Terrence McNally, and based on E.L.
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