Slow Burn Theatre Company to Stage RAGTIME in March

JetBlue presents Slow Burn Theatre Company's production of Ragtime sponsored by American National Bank in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Friday, March 20-Sunday, April 5.

The winner of Tony Awards® for Best Score, Book and Orchestrations, Ragtime is a true blockbuster boasting two Broadway runs in a dozen years with a revival in 2009 following its premiere in 1998. The musical is based on E.L. Doctorow's novel, which was selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time. The hit show's pedigree is just as stellar with a creative team of award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island, Seussical and Lucky Stiff) and noted playwright Terrence McNally.

Ragtime weaves an American tapestry of historical and fictitious characters that tracks three families in New York at the start of the 20th Century. The lives of wealthy men and women, immigrants, African Americans, jazz musicians, union organizers and early movie makers intertwine as they pursue life, love and often-illusive justice.

"While the setting and historical characters might classify Ragtime as a period piece, it is as current as today's headlines" said Slow Burn Artistic Director Patrick Fitzwater who directs the production. "The heart of the show is about issues that are important today as they were in the early 1900's. Audiences connect to the timeless human emotions of love and loss as they recognize the excitement of living in a time of historic change."

Noting it would feature "great musical theater actors with big voices," the Miami Herald chose Slow Burn Theatre Company's staging of Ragtime to be one of the 10 best critic's picks for the 2019-20 season.

Leading the cast are: Chaz Rose and Lillie Thomas as the jazz musician Coal House Walker and his beloved Sarah; Anna Lise Jensen and Matthew Korinko as the upper crust Mother and Father; Tony Edgerton as an immigrant in search of the American dream for his daughter; and Sean William Davis as Younger Brother who is caught on the dangerous brink of a new age. They are joined by Israel Vinas, Nicole Kinzel, Krystal Bly, Andre Russell, Conor Walton and Stephen Hedger as the famous and infamous historical figures Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan, respectively.

Additional members of this epic musical's cast include Jay Hendrix, Eden Gross, Michael Kreutz, Nayomi Braaf, John Ettinger, Samantha O'Donnell, Jerel Brown, Victoria Anderson, Zachary Weinstein, Randall Swinton, Joey Swift, Kristi Rose Mills and Marisol Morales.

Scenic designer Kelly Tighe, lighting designer Jose Santiago, choreographer Jerel Brown, costume supervisor AJ Garcia and music director Anthony Campisi who conducts the live band join Fitzwater on the creative team. This production is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Performances begin Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. and continue through Sunday, April 5 with performances Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. with additional matinee performances Wednesday, March 25 at 11 a.m. and Saturday, March 21 and April 4 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $49-$65. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at BrowardCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222 or the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office. Know who you are buying from when you purchase tickets.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

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