Boston

Emerson Umbrella presents Ragtime

E.L. Doctorow’s award-winning novel Ragtime has captivated imaginations and spurred conversation since its release in 1975. More than 20 years later, playwright Terrence McNally and composer/lyricist team Stephen Ahrens and Lynn Flaherty debuted their Tony Award-winning musical based on Doctorow’s poignant and timeless story of the struggles of immigrants and African-Americans in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Concord’s Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts brings this magical production to the stage next month for a limited engagement.

Ragtime explores the dynamics among three main societal groups in the early 1900s: the white upper-class in New Rochelle, New York; the black community of Harlem; and the newly-arrived immigrants from Eastern Europe. Tateh arrives in the United States with his young daughter only to discover it is not the land of riches he expected. Coalhouse Walker Jr., a black musician, finds that despite his education and every attempt to work within the law of the land, that hatred and bigotry remain rampant. And Mother begins to challenge her traditional place in the home as she learns her capacity to make informed decisions for herself.

“I wanted to do this musical because I felt the themes explored throughout the stories of Mother, Coalhouse and Tateh are timeless,” said Julia Fiske, director and choreographer of Ragtime. “The audiences of the Emerson Umbrella deserved an opportunity to consider how far we've come from the events of Ragtime and how far we have yet to go.”

More than 40 actors from throughout central and eastern Massachusetts have come together to put on this production of Ragtime. Music director Tom Cox has assembled a 20-piece orchestra to bring the power of Ragtime’s music to its fullest potential. Ragtime at the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts promises to remind audiences of the struggles our country has endured and of what progress remains to be seen.

Ragtime will be performed at the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts on Stow St. in Concord. Performance dates are April 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees April 9 and 16. Tickets are $20 for the general public, $15 for students and seniors. More information can be found at Emerson Umbrella’s website, emersonumbrella.org.