Ragtime
October 2023
At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing… and anything is possible. 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.
The show also weaves in immediately recognizable historical figures such as Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington, and many others. Together, the cast confronts history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair… and what it means to live in America.
The show includes diverse music styling including ragtime rhythms of Harlem and Tin Pan Alley, the klezmer of the Lower East Side, bold brass band marches, delicate waltzes, up-tempo banjo tunes, period parlor songs, and expansive anthems.
Directed by ERIC SHOVAH
Music direction by HEATHER FERLO
Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS
Book by TERRENCE MCNALLY
JENNIFER ANSMY as Sarah
JAHMERE HOLLAND as Coalhouse Walker
LIANA MARTINO as Sarah’s Friend
KEN KASCH as Tateh
ADAM M. COONS as Father
HEATHER D’ARCY as Mother
CLAUDIA DEMARTINO as Evelyn Nesbit
CHRIS KOWALSKI as Henry Ford/Grandfather
NICK MARTINIANO as Younger Brother
BECKIE BOURGAULT as Emma Goldman
SCOTT PATTON as Harry Houdini/Stanford White
REMY ORTH as Little Boy
HARPER SHOVAH as Little Girl/Newsboy
KENDALL MARRA as Little Girl/Newsboy
HENRY DIMARIA as JP Morgan
CHRISTOPHER URIG as Willie Conklin
Ensemble: ALICIA ESPOSITO, LAURA MARRA, ANDREA BURGER, QUBILAH SALES, LINDA THORBURN, JAKE HUERTER, BROOKE HUTCHINS