Ragtime

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The Charleston Light Opera Guild and the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences collaborate to present Ragtime, based on the novel of the same name by E. L. Doctorow. This compelling production of the American experience tracks three diverse families in pursuit of the American dream in the "melting pot" of turn-of-the-century New York. Over the course of the show, the worlds of a wealthy white couple, a Jewish immigrant father and his motherless daughter and an African American ragtime musician intertwine. Together, they discover the surprising interconnections of the human heart, the limitations of justice and the unsettling consequences when dreams are permanently deferred.

As the fictitious characters embark on personal voyages of self-discovery, their lives become dramatically entangled with real life characters of historical significance that include J.P. Morgan, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit and Henry Ford.  With a script by Terrence McNally and score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, this musical won the 1998 Tony Award for best score, best book and best orchestrations.  Featured are such show-stopping songs as "Getting Ready Rag," "Your Daddy's Son," "Wheels of a Dream," "Till We Reach that Day," "Back to Before," and "Make Them Hear You."  Ragtime sweeps across the diversity of the American experience to create a stirring epic that captures the beats of the era: the marches, the cakewalks and - of course - the ragtime.

The Guild last performed Ragtime in 2007 at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theatre.