Ragtime at Youth Musical Theater Company

In turn-of-the-century New York, the forces of change bring together three unlikely heroes: a genteel housewife from New Rochelle, a Latvian immigrant father, and a gifted Harlem pianist, whose stories intertwine and weave together, culminating in an American musical masterpiece. An odyssey spanning a decade, and a faithful adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s celebrated novel, Ragtime is a truly American story, one that feels more timely and relevant now than ever before. With music and lyrics by the award winning Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Ragtime uses music as a lens with which to frame the colliding worlds of early America. Weaving in elements of Klezmer, big band anthems, Vaudeville, and of course, Ragtime, Ragtime artfully defies any one musical genre.

Led by co-directors Jennifer Boesing and Michael Mohammed, with music direction by Daniel Alley and David Möschler, Ragtime features a cast of over 30 performing arts students, ages 10-21 hailing from throughout the Bay Area, alongside students in the company’s Theater Arts Apprenticeship and Pit Orchestra Apprenticeship programs.

Audience advisory: Ragtime depicts acts of racial violence and hatred, including the use of racial slurs. Viewer discretion is encouraged, especially when considering younger audience members.

Authors

• E. L. Doctorow
• Lynn Ahrens
• Stephen Flaherty
• Terrence McNally

Tony Awards and Nominations for Ragtime