Suncoast Theatre Stages The Musical RAGTIME

The award-winning Suncoast Theatre presents the Tony Award®-nominated musical Ragtime Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7.

Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime features a book by Terrance McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Ragtime explores America's timeless contradictions of freedom and prejudice, wealth and poverty, hope and despair. Audiences can enjoy memorable and inspiring songs such as "On the Wheels of a Dream," "Your Daddy's Son," and "Make Them Hear You."

Ragtime tells the story of three groups living in New York during the early 20th century: African Americans, (represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician), upper-class suburbanites (represented by Mother, the matriarch of a white upper-class family in New Rochelle), and Eastern European immigrants (represented by Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia). Some historical figures represented in this musical include Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and Emma Goldman.

First premiering in Toronto in 1996, Ragtime ran for a year in Los Angeles before transferring to Broadway's Ford Center for the Performing Arts in 1998. The Broadway production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four, including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

Stephanie Nixdorf (Director of Suncoast Theatre) stages and music directs this production, with choreography by Jackie Bayne (Broadway: South Pacific, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Jason Gillman (Broadway: Legally Blonde, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie). This is Bayne and Gillman's fifth show working as guest artists for Suncoast Theatre.

Performances are Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m.

Suncoast Theatre is located on the campus of the nationally-ranked Suncoast Community High School, located at 1717 Avenue S Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and can be purchased at the door or by calling (561) 882-3427. Cash or checks only.

Last year, Suncoast Theatre's production of Fiddler on the Roof was awarded Outstanding Musical at the First Annual Kravis Center Dream Awards. Suncoast Theatre is proud to have received such an honor and hopes to continue their tradition of theatrical excellence through this production of Ragtime.

Ragtime is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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