Three families’ lives collide at the dawn of the 20th century.
Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, this musical tapestry depicts an African-American family, a Jewish immigrant family, and a wealthy white suburban family in turn-of-the-century America, who collide in pursuit of the American Dream. Nominated for 13 Tony Awards® including “Best Musical,” and winning for “Best Original Score” and “Best Book of a Musical,” Ragtime is a powerful portrait of life during the turn-of-the-century, exploring America’s timeless contradictions of freedom and prejudice, wealth and poverty, hope and despair.
Director
PAUL DAVID BRYANT
Music Director
BRIAN KENNEDY
Honorary Producer
MARI HOOPER
Associate Producers
JON & AMANDA HALL
Youth Performance Underwriters
DON BLACK & JUDY McNULTY BLACK
RON & SYLVIA HARTMAN
EDWARD PARKER
Book
TERRENCE MCNALLY
Composer
STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Lyrics
LYNN AHRENS
Running Time
APPROXIMATELY
2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES
Synopsis: The lives of three families intertwine at the beginning of the 20th century. Life in America is changing. Ragtime tells of the experience of immigrants, African-Americans, and a wealthy family in the suburbs of New York. Social and racial conflicts rise to the surface as the lives of the characters become intertwined.
Theme: A changing world requires each group to adapt to a new way of life. Despite their differences, the characters’ lives become intertwined and display the changing world that America is becoming.
Language: Racial slurs used to describe African-Americans by white men in multiple scenes.
Smoking, Drinking, and Gambling: Some references
Violence: Fight scene at a train station, where a gun is fired. Hate crimes are inferred. A character is killed. Violence to seek justice is depicted. A character is shot.
For Which Audiences? Recommended for 6 th grade and higher due to material and violence.
Rating: If this was a movie, it would be rated PG-13.
Cast & Crew
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