A scene from the National Touring Production of RAGTIME. Now Showing at Houston's Jones Hall August 3 - 15, 1999. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Master Card Broadway Series Houston
RAGTIME
A DEFINING MUSICAL FROM THE TURN-OF THE CENTURY TO THE MILLENIUM
NATIONAL BROADWAY TOUR LAUNCHES IN HOUSTON'S JONES HALL
AUGUST 3 - AUGUST 15, 1999
LIMITED PREMIERE ENGAGEMENT
PREVIEW PERFORMANCES BEGIN JULY 31
POPULAR SONGS
A Bird in a Gilded Cage - 1900
Hello Central, Give Me Heaven - 1901
In the Good Old Summer Time - 1902
You're the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline - 1903
Meet Me in St. Louis - 1904
In My Merry Oldsmobile - 1905
You're the Grand Old Flag - 1906
School Days - 1907
Shine On, Harvest Moon - 1908
My Wife's Gone to the Country, Hurrah! Hurrah! - 1909
Play That Barber Shop Chord - 1910
Ragtime Violin - 1911
When Irish Eyes are Smiling - 1912
You Made Me Love You - 1913
St. Louis Blues - 1914
America, I Love You - 1915
Houston, TX -
Embarking on its First National Tour, one of the most beloved and admired novels of modern
times, E.L. Doctorow's RAGTIME, comes to vibrant musical life in Houston's Jones Hall,
August 3 - 15, 1999 as a dramatic conclusion to the 1998 - 1999 MasterCard Broadway Series.
Proclaimed "the Best Musical of the Yeae' by USA Today, the four-time Tony Award-winning
musical is a timeless tale of innocence lost and freedom won. Preview performances are scheduled
for Saturday, July 31 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, August I at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the premiere
engagement will go on sale Sunday, June 20 and may be purchased at all Ticketmaster ticket
centers or charge-by-phone at 713- 629-3700. Ticket prices range from $10.00 - $58.75.
RAGTIME is a panoramic portrait of three remarkable families - one upper-middle class, white
Anglo- Saxon Protestant, one socialist immigrant Jewish and one Harlem black. As they embark on
personal voyages of self-discovery, their lives become dramatically intertwined with one another
and with real-life historical characters including Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, I.P. Morgan and
Booker T. Washington. RAGTIME is a cavalcade of American life at the tum-of-the-century - an
age of exciting transitions and great change. RAGTIME is interwoven with pivotal historic events
such as Admiral Peary's expedition to the North Pole, the sinking of the Lusitania, the birth of the
American labor union, the development of assembly-line technology and the dawn of the
automotive and motion picture industries.
RAGTIME's book is by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, winner of the 1995
and 1996 Tony Award for Best Play for Love! Valour! Compassion! and Masterclass,
respectively. The score is by Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), whose previous
collaborations include Once On This Island and the musical adaptation of My Favorite Year. The
stellar creative team is led by two-time Tony Award-winning director Frank Galati (The Grapes of
Wrath) and acclaimed choreographer Graciela Daniele (Chronicle of a Death Foretold, 7he Most
Happy Fella, Pirates of Penzance and most recently, Annie Get Your Gun starring Bernadette
Peters). Rounding out the creative team is two-time Tony Award-winning set designer Eugene Lee
(Candide, Sweeney Todd), the three-time Tony Award-winning costume designer Santo Loquasto
(The Cherry Orchard, Cafe Crown and Grand Hotel), lighting designers Jules Fisher and Peggy
Eisenhauer, the 1996 Tony Award-winners for Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk.
Tickets for the Houston engagement of RAGTIME will go on sale Sunday, June 20 and can be
purchased at all Ticketmaster ticket centers including Foley's and Kroger. To charge-by-phone,
call 713-629-3700; for groups of 20 or more, call 713-693-2692 or toll free at 1-800-889-8457.
Ticket prices range from $15.00 to $58.75. Showtimes: Tuesday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m.,
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Specially priced
preview performances are schedule for Saturday, July 31 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, August I at
7:00 p.m. Preview prices range from $10.00 - $53.75. Please note. the 2:00 matinee on Saturday,
August 14 will be captioned for the heating inpaired The TDD#for tickets is 1-800-755-6244.
The MasterCard Broadway Series is made possible by MasterCard International. With
headquarters in Purchase, NY, MasterCard International is a global payments company with one
of the world's most recognized brands. It is dedicated to helping more than 22,000 financial
institutions provide their customers with a variety of payments.
Additional support for the 1998 - 1999 MasterCard Broadway Series is provided by Continental
Airlines, Official and Exclusive Airline and Lucent Technologies, Official Communications
Technology Sponsor.
000
PLOT SUMMARY
"In 1902, Father built ahouse at the crest of the Broadvi@ow A venue Hillin New
Roc,helle, New York .. andttwemed for some years thereafter that aff their days
would he wam and fair. "
ACT ONE: We are on the front lawn of a home in New Rochelle, New York as The Little
Boy, Mother, Father, Mother's Younger Brother, their family and neighbors sing of a
new era. Soon their genteel life is interrupted by Negroes from Harlem and immigrants
arriving from Eastern Europe: three distinct cultures that must now live together.
On the dock in New York Harbor' Mother bids farewell to Father as he leaves for the
North Pole with Admiral Peary. At sea, leaving the harbor, Father spots a 'rag" ship
filled with immigrants heading to Ellis Island and wonders what these arriving
passengers are in for. On the "rag" ship, an immigrant called -Tateh and his motherless
Little Girl see Father waving, and wonder why anyone would leave America.
Back in New Rochelle, Mother is planting in her garden when she tragically discovers a
newborn Negro boy buried in the earth. Clutching the child to her body she wonders
what kind of woman would do such a thing. She soon finds out-the police arrive with
Sarah, mute, scared and desperate. The police intend to press charges of attempted
murder, but Mother intercedes-she wi4l take both Sarah and the child into her home.
At a club in Harlem, a crowd gathers to listen to the new piano playing style of
Coalhouse Walker Jr., a style called ragtime. Coalhouse is a man with a broken heart.
Sarah, the woman he loves, has run out on him. But he's determined to change his ways
and win her back. Once groomed and dressed, Coalhouse needs only one more thing to
lure Sarah. Suddenly, Henry Ford appears with his assembly line. The auto magnate
explains his theory of mass production and Coalhouse drives off in his own Model T.
But the 'oy of his new acquisition is soon dampened when, on his search for Sarah,
Coalhouse stops for directions at the Emerald Isle Firehouse. There Chief Willie
Conklin and his burly buddies hurl racist abuse at Coalhouse and envy his fancy car.
Coalhouse finds the house in New Rochelle. When Mother informs Sarah of his arrival,
Sarah asks that he be sent- away. Coalhouse leaves politely, pledging to return each
Sunday. On one Sunday, Mother invites Coalhouse in for tea. Suddenly, Father arrives
home unannounced from the North Pole after a year away. He finds a wife with a
baby, a son who seems all grown up, Sarah living in the attic and Coalhouse at the
piano. Sarah finally comes down the stairs and falls into Coalhouse's waiting arms.
On a hill overlooking New Rochelle, Coalhouse polishes his Model T and tells Sarah of
new hope he has acquired from the teachings of Booker T. Washington. Together
Coalhouse and Sarah sing of the promise for freedom the car represents for their son.
Tateh has now relocated to Lawrence, Massachusetts where he works at a loom 64
hours per week for little pay. Emma Goldman witnesses the horrid working conditions
in Lawrence, then describes them at a union rally in lower Manhattan. Younger
Brother shows up at the union hall and finds himself inspired by the anarchist.
Back in Lawrence, the militia is called out to confront the strikers. The frightened
workers send their children off to safe foster homes. As Tateh puts The Little Girl on the
train, he is beaten to theground. He realizes sending his daughter away is a mistake.
He takes off, running along the railroad track and plunges up onto the train into his
daughter's arms. Tateh calms her by giving her a flip book of silhouettes he has made.
The train conductor notices Tateh demonstrating the flip book and buys it for his own
daughter. Tateh realizes he has designed a valuable product. His life is about to change.
Driving home from their afternoon of leisure, Coalhouse and Sarah are stopped and
threatened by the firehouse gang on Emerald Isle. Coalhouse sends Sarah off to safety
and searches for a policeman. Upon returning to his car, Coalhouse finds it has been
trashed by the firemen. In a rage, Coalhouse vows that until this wrong is righted, he
cannot marry. Broken-hearted Sarah determines to resolve the situation for Coalhouse.
As it happens the Vice Presidential campaign train is making a whistle stop in town.
Sarah attends the rally. She pushes her way through the crowd to get to the candidate,
thinking he will answer her plea. But, with the recent assassination of President
McKinley fresh on their minds, the guards are fearful and beat Sarah to death.
ACT TWO: At the Main Street Theatre in New Rochelle, the world famous illusionist
Harry Houdini performs his act of great escape climaxing with an explosion of smoke
and fire. The Little Boy wakes up in bed. The Houdini show has been a dream. He yells
for his mother, 'Something bad is going to happen," he says. "It's Coalhouse."
From the darkness, a broken, ferocious Coalhouse Walker appears and states his
demands: that his car be restored and that Willie Conklin be turned over to him to
avenge Sarah's death. Until the demands are met, he vows to kill firemen and destroy
firehouws. Father is highly critical of Coalhouk's violent tactics, but Younger Brother
sympathizes with the musician and despises Father's complacency. Younger Brother
storms out of the house and heads for Harlem in search of Coalhouse. He is led to the
revolutionary headquarters. Face-to-face with Coalhouse, Younger Brother is driven by
the revolutionary spirit of Emma Goldman and joins Coalhouse's crusade.
Mother and Father's home is surrounded by a swarm of reporters. Their conflict
demands some change. Atlantic City seems to be the answer. There Mother will be safe
with the baby, and it is close enough so that Father can visit on the weekends.
On the beach outside the Breakers Hotel in Atlantic City, Father, Mother and The Little
Boy see a moving picture play being filmed. The director, attracted by Mother's beauty,
introduces himself as the Baron Ashkenazy. Mother converses with the Baron, who
reveals he is actually Tateh, a poor Jewish immigrant who got lucky in America. Father
approaches Mother. He reports that Coalhouse and his men have taken over the
Morgan Library in Manhattan and have threatened to blow it up. Father feels
compelled to go there and volunteer to help negotiate.
Outside the Morgan Library, Conklin works on restoring Coalhouse's car, but that is
not good enough. Coalhouse wants Conklin. Booker T. Washington enters the library
and advises Coalhouse to give himself up without causing further destruction.
Coalhouse secures his freedom for his gang and sends them off. With his men safe,
Coalhouse walks out the library door and to his fate. As a montage of characters from
the entire journey fills the stage, we hear once again the promise of hope for the future.
"The era of ragtime had run out, as if history were no more than a tune on a player piano. '
E.L. DOCTOROW, THE AUTHOR
"It's hard to explain the process of WRITING. All I can say is that it's like driving a car
at night. You can only see as far as your headlights extend, but you can make the whole
trip that way. "
-E.L. Doctorow
Son of a music store owner and pianist, Edgar Laurence Doctorow was born in New
York City on January 6, 1931. Educated at Kenyon College and Columbia University,
he worked as an editor at both the New American Library and Dial Press and as a
script-reader for Columbia Pictures before publishing his first novel, Welcome to Hard
iimg7 in 1961. In addition to Ragtime (published in 1975), Mr. Doctorow has written
seven other novels, including Big As Life (I 966), The Book of Daniel (I 9 7 1), Loon Lake
(I 980), Lives of the Poets (I 984), World's Fair (I 985), Billy Bath,-zate (I 989), and The
Waterworks (I 994). In 19937 Mr. Doctorow published his first non-fiction work, Jack
London, HemingWay, and the Constitution, a collection of his essays written between
1977 and 1992.
Between books, Mr. Doctorow wrote the play "Drinks Before Dinner," which was
produced by Joseph Papp and directed by Mike Nichols at the New York Shakespeare
Festival Theatre in 1978. It has since been produced in England, Western Europe, and
at regional theatres throughout the United States. "Drinks Before Dinner" has also
been adapted, by Mr. Doctorow, as a radio play for the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC).
Mr. Doctorow is the recipient of the National Book Award, the Pen Faulkner Award, the
Arts and Letters Award, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the William Dean
Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and two National Book
Critics Circle Awards. Since 19827 he has served as Glucksman Professor of American
and English Letters at New York University.
THE GENESIS OF RAGTIME
by RAGTIME novelist E.L. Doctorow
"One day in 1972 in my study on the third floor of my home on Broadview Avenue in
New Rochelle, I found myself unable to write. I could only stare at the wall. So I
started to write about the wall. That is the kind of day we sometimes have, as writers.
Then I wrote about the house the wall was attached to--a three-story brown shingle
with dormers, bay windows, and a screened porch. It had been built in 19061 the
beginning of the new century. At the time, the President of the United States was Teddy
Roosevelt. He had sent the U.S. fleet around the world. Women visited the fleet
carrying white parasols. Everyone wore white in the summer. Men wore straw
skimmers. At the bottom of the Broadview hill, trolley cars ran along the avenue. This
was a cozy, confident, self-satisfied America. There were no Negroes. There were no
immigrants. So there I was - off the wall, through the roof, and into the era and the
book."
"At the time I began writing RAGTIME I was extremely sensitive to the cultural impact
of the non-fiction (fictive) forms of discourse-psychology, anthropology, journalism,
historiography, and so on-which had appropriated many of the methods and tropes of
fiction, but which had the authority of scientific and historical fact. It angered me that
the great medium of fiction, as wide and all encompassing as the world, a system of
knowledge, really, like no other, was thought to have only the smallest ' most personal
and private autobiographical subjects for its domain. I wanted a book that would break
out, recover its territory from the empiricists. If fact were what people wanted, fine-I
would give them facts they had never dreamt of."
THE RAGTIME CREATIVE TEAM
BIOS
Book- Terrence McNally
One of the theatre's most acclaimed playwrights, Mr. McNally's long list of
accomplishments includes winning the 1996 Tony Award for the smash hit "Master
Class," and the 1995 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for "Love!
Valourl Compassion!." He is also the renowned author of "A Perfect Ganesh, "Lips
Together, Teeth Apart," "The Lisbon Traviata," "The Ritz," and 'Frankie and Johnny in
the Clair de Lune." Mr. McNally- wrote the book for the musical production of "The
Rink," and won a 1993 Tony Award for his book for Livent's rnusical production of
"Kiss of the Spider Woman." For the screen, Mr. McNally adapted both 'The Ritz" and
"Frankie and Johnny." In 1991, he was awarded an Emmy for Best Drama for his
teleplay for "Andre's Mother."
Score: Stephen Flaherty (music) & Lynn Ahrens (lyrics)
Mr. Flaherty and Ms. Ahrens are perhaps best known for their score for "Once On This
Island." The Broadway production of 'Once On This Island" received eight 1991 Tony
Award nominations and the London West End version won the prestigious 1995 Olivier
Award for Best Musical. This talented pair have also collaborated on "Lucky Stiff"
(Playwright Horizons' 1988 season), and the 1992 musical adaptation of "My Favorite
Year," (Lincoln Center Theatre, 1992). Together, they contributed material to the best
selling album "Free To Be ... A Family," starring Marlo Thomas. In addition, Ms. Ahrens
collaborated with multiple Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken on the recent
Broadway musicalization of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Ahrens and Flaherty were
nominated for both a Grammy and an Academy Award for their score for Twentieth
Century fox's first full-length animated feature film, "Anastasia," starring the voices of
Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Bernadette Peters and
Angela Lansbury.
Director: Frank Galati
Mr. Galati was awarded two Antoinette Perry ("Tony") Awards for his direction and
stage adaptation of "The Grapes of Wrath", and was nominated for a Tony Award for
his direction of the musical "Ragtime." He has received nine Joseph Jefferson Awards
for his work in Chicago theatre and received an Academy Award nomination for his
screenplay adaptation (with Lawrence Kasdan) of "The Accidental Tourist." He works
regularly at the Goodman Theatre, where he is associate director, and the Steppenwolf
Theatre Company, where he is an ensemble member. He has staged numerous operas
for The Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera and Chicago Opera
Theatre. Mr. Galati teaches in the Department of Performance Studies at Northwestern
University.
Musical Staging: Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele has directed on Broadway, at Lincoln Center and the F'Ublic Theater,
and at regional theaters and has earned ten Toni Award nominations and six Drama
Desk nominations. Her Broadway credits include 'Annie Get Your Gun" starring
Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat, "The Goodbye Girl," "Dangerous Game," 'Chronicle
of a Death Fortold," "Once on this Island," "Zorba" with Anthony Quinn, "The Rink"
starring Liza Minelli and Chita Rivera, and 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood." She
choreographed the New York Shakepeare Festival production of 'The Pirates of
Penzance" on Broadway, Los Angeles, and London, the motion picture of "Pirates," and
Woody Allen's three films, including "Mighty Aphrodite," for which she won the 1996
Fosse Award, and "Everyone Says I Love You," for which she won the 1997 Fosse
Award. Recently, Ms. Daniele directed and choreographed "A New Brain," which
enjoyed an extended run in the summer of 1998 at Lincoln Center Theatre, where she
is a resident director. She is the recipient of the 1998 'Mr. Abbott" Award for
Outstanding Achievement by a Director/Choreographer.
Set Design: Eugene Lee
For more than two decades, Mr. Lee has served as Resident Designer for the Trinity
Repertory Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. A two-time Tony Award-winner for his
designs for director Harold Prince's 1974 production of "Candide" and for the original
Broadway production of 'Sweeney Todd" (1979), Mr. Lee also received both the 1995
Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for his contribution to Livent's epic
production of "Show Boat." His other New York stage credits include 'Slaveship,"
"Alice In Wonderland," 'Agnes of God" and "Uncle Vanya." For television, Mr. Lee has
served as production designer for "Saturday Night Live" and "The Kids In The Hall."
Costume Design: Santo Loquasto
A three-time Tony Award-winner for his exquisite designs for "The Cherry Orchard,"
"Cafe Crown" and "Grand Hotel," Mr. Loquasto's many stage credits include "Sticks
and Bones" (Drama Desk Award), "That Championship Season," "American Buffalo"
(Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards), "Agamemnon," "Three Sisters". "Lost
in Yonkers," and Livent's production of "Barrymore," starring Christopher Plummer.
Mr. Loquasto's film credits include "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Big" and all of
director Woody Allen's last 13 films from "Stardust Memories" through "Mighty
Aphrodite."
Lighting Design: Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer
Mr. Fisher and Ms. Eisenhauer are the 1996 Tony Award-winners for "Bring in 'Da
Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk." Additionally, Mr. Fisher's lighting designs have enhanced
more than 150 Broadway and off-Broadway productions, garnering 15 Tony Award
nominations and seven Tonys. His Tony Award-winning productions include "Pippin,"
I " "Grand Hotel "The Will Rogers Follies," "Jelly's Last Jam," and the smash hit "Bring in 'Da
Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk." Mr. Fisher's other Broadway credits include: "Chicago," "Jesus Christ
Superstar," "La Cage aux Folles," "Angels in America" and "Victor/Victoria."
Orchestrations: William David Brohn
Mr. Brohn has been awarded two New York Drama Desk Awards for his critically
acclaimed orchestrations for "Miss Saigon" and "The Secret Garden." He is currently
the world's most heard music theatre arranger-scores he has arranged are playing
nightly around the globe in productions of "Miss Saigon, "The Secret Garden,"
"Carousel," "Crazy For You," the West End revival of "Oliver!, 77 and the Livent
productions of 'The Music of the Night" and "Show Boat." Among his ballet
orchestrations are those for Agnes de Mille and the American Ballet Theatre. Mr.
Brohn's film work includes "Endless Love" and "Blue Thunder, 77 and he has worked
with recording artists such as The Three Tenors, James Galaway, Jerry Hadley, Marilyn
Horne and John Raitt.
Musical Supervisor: Jeffrey Huard
Mr. Huard is the musical director for Livent, Inc. He serves as the production
supervisor for "Show Boat," which he conducted in Toronto and on Broadway. He was
also the musical supervisor for "Kiss of the Spider Woman," and served as conductor
for its opening in Toronto, London and New York. Mr. Huard has conducted the
Broadway production of "The Phantom of the Opera" and is presently the music
supervisor for its Toronto and Canadian international touring productions. His
recordings include the Canadian cast albums of "The Phantom of the Opera" and
"Sunset Boulevard, 17 as well as the original cast albums of 'Kiss of the Spider Woman"
and "Show Boat."
Dance Arrangements: David Krane
Mr. Krane composed the dance and incidental music.for "Victor/Victoria,", "Big,"
"Music of the Night" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman;" he also conducted the Viennese
premiere of "Kiss," and produced and conducted the German language recording. He
created orchestrations for "She Loves Me," and dance music for "Damn Yankees." His
orchestrations for "The World Goes 'Round" were nominated for the Drama Desk
Award. He provided musical direction and des' n for the Tony-nominated revival of
"Sweeney Todd," arranged the music for "The West Side Waltz," starring Katharine
Hepburn, and has composed dance, incidental music and arrangements for many other
shows.