Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Arts and Entertainment Pick of the Day: Ragtime in Concert at Street Theatre
Posted by Martin Brady on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 5:00 AM
Where: Street Theatre, 1933 Elm Hill Pike
When: Nov. 16-20
Street Theatre Company scored a success previously with its first “in concert” musical, Chess. Now they’re presenting Ragtime, based on E.L. Doctorow’s landmark 1975 novel that mixed real-life historical figures with fictional characters. The music and lyrics are by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and those are about as sprawling as the play’s book, which means upward of 40 numbers, many of them flowing right into one another in shifting musical styles that capture the hodgepodge of humanity that was American life during the 20th century’s first decade.
The interesting casting note here involves Julie Forester, a Nashville songwriter, voice teacher and session singer who was a member of the original Olivier Award-winning production of Ragtime in London’s West End. She sings the role of “Mother.” The cast also includes Michael Kitts, Bakari King, Naeandria Callihan and some 40 others.
