McAlister Auditorium Erica L. Giovanni, director/choreographer
Ragtime is the story of three distinct groups of people who watch the world change in the early years of the twentieth century. In Harlem, a pianist named Coalhouse Walker, Jr. is lovesick for a woman named Sarah, while on the streets of New York, a Jewish immigrant called Tateh tries to support his Little Girl by selling cut-out silhouettes. Meanwhile, in the comfortable town of New Rochelle, Father and Mother live with their Little Boy, his Grandfather, and Mother's Younger Brother - except that Father has just left on a year-long arctic expedition. The calm of New Rochelle is shattered when Mother finds a black baby abandoned in her garden. We quickly learn that the child belongs to a certain washerwoman named Sarah. Mother takes both Sarah and her baby into her care. Soon, Coalhouse is a regular visitor in the house, trying to win Sarah back. Punctuated by a variety of historical figures from Harry Houdini to Henry Ford, Ragtime is a story of struggle, loss, choice, and love. Can Father understand the changed world he returns to? Will Mother have the courage to act on her new-found convictions? Can Tateh find the success he expects in America? What will become of proud Coalhouse and his beloved Sarah? And will the Little Boy ever find someone to warn the Duke? |
