SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
New Rochelle, New York, 1906. A large Victorian house on Broadview Avenue, the home of an upper middle class family: Father, who has derived his wealth from the manufacture of fireworks, flags and bunting; Mother; their son, the Little Boy; and Mother's Younger Brother, a genius at explosives who works in Father's fireworks factory. This is the Gilded Age, an era of industrialization, when prospects for wealth and happiness seem to be boundless. Everything is new and anything is possible.
In Harlem, crowds dance to the music of ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. In Latvia, a widower named Tateh dreams of escaping with his daughter, the Little Girl, to America.
America is filled with famous characters: mesmerizing illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini � J.P. Morgan, the wealthiest man in America � radical anarchist Emma Goldman � chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit, former mistress of Stanford White, the brilliant architect who has been slain by Nesbit's millionaire husband, Harry K. Thaw. Called the "Crime of the Century," this murder has scandalized the nation ("Ragtime").
On the dock of New York Harbor, Mother bids farewell to Father who is joining Admiral Peary on an expedition to the North Pole ("Goodbye, My Love"). As the boat disappears into the distance, another appears. It is the rag ship sailing to America carrying refugees from western and eastern Europe, including Tateh and the Little Girl ("Journey On").
Infatuated with Evelyn Nesbit, Younger Brother visits a vaudeville house in Manhattan every night to see her perform ("The Crime of the Century"). One night, a news photographer waits for Evelyn. She kisses Younger Brother merely for the publicity, and then saunters away, leaving YB heartbroken and disillusioned.
In New Rochelle, Mother, who is planting in her garden, is shocked when she finds a black infant boy. The police arrive with Sarah, the scared mother of the child. Before the police can charge Sarah with attempted murder, Mother intervenes, saying she will take responsibility for Sarah and her baby. Mother brings them into her home ("What Kind of Woman").
On Ellis Island, crowds of immigrants, including Tateh and the Little Girl, arrive, delirious with joy and optimism ("A Shtetl Iz Amereke" . "Success"). On the streets of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Tateh calls out from his cart to passersby, offering to sell them paper silhouette portraits, with very little success. Months pass. Tateh's desperation increases. A man stops, but instead of buying a silhouette, he asks Tateh to sell him the Little Girl. Enraged, Tateh attacks the man. Full of self-doubt, Tateh wonders whether America's golden promise was only a lie. In his disillusionment, he has a vision of Harry Houdini. Tateh is inspired to escape his own confining circumstances. He sells his cart and, with the Little Girl, leaves New York on a trolley. The little money he has will take them as far as Boston.
In the Tempo Nightclub in Harlem, Coalhouse Walker Jr. entertains the crowd ("His Name Was Coalhouse Walker"). While introducing one of his numbers, he reminisces about a woman he loved named Sarah, and vows to win her back ("Getting' Ready Rag").
Henry Ford and his assembly line appear before Coalhouse in an apparition and he watches intently while a Model T is built ("Henry Ford"). This is the new mass production technology that will transform the country and the world. Coalhouse buys one of these new cars.
In New Rochelle, Coalhouse asks firemen outside the Emerald Isle firehouse for directions to Broadview Avenue. Chief Willie Conklin forbids Coalhouse to pass and forces him to turn back. In the house on Broadview Avenue, Sarah sings a lullaby to her child ("Your Daddy's Son"). Coalhouse arrives and asks to speak with Sarah. Sarah refuses to see him. Coalhouse leaves, but persistently returns every Sunday for several weeks, hoping Sarah will speak with him. Finally Mother invites Coalhouse in for tea. Coalhouse tells Mother he is a musician, and she invites him to play a tune on the piano. Coalhouse obliges, playing a ragtime melody.
Five months pass. One Sunday, Father returns home unannounced from the North Pole. Surprised to see Sarah, her baby and Coalhouse in his house and to learn about Sarah's predicament, Father wonders whether he has been away too long. Mother ponders why they have grown apart, and are unable to experience the love that Coalhouse has for Sarah, a sentiment shared by Younger Brother. Sarah finally heeds Coalhouse's words of love and comes downstairs into his embrace ("New Music"). Coalhouse takes Sarah and their baby for a ride in his new Model T. Coalhouse promises Sarah that this is the beginning of a new life and a better time for them and their son ("Wheels of a Dream").
In Lawrence, Massachusetts, Tateh works in front of a loom for 64 hours a week for just under six dollars. One day, the workers go on strike. In New York, at a rally at a workmen's hall in Union Square, YB hears Emma Goldman call for a general strike in support of the striking mill workers ("The Night That Goldman Spoke At Union Square"). Inspired by her passionate words, YB calls out his support. Within three days, every mill in Lawrence is shut down. Factory owners call in the militia to protect their property. Tateh puts the Little Girl on a train that will take her to a home for safety. A riot breaks out. Tateh hears the panic stricken cries of his daughter as the train begins to move. Tateh runs and ultimately pulls himself onto the train. He comforts the Little Girls with a flip book of silhouette images of her skating that move as he flicks the pages ("Gliding"). A Conductor is attracted by the moving picture book and buys it.
To find out what happens to Coalhouse, Sarah, Mother, Father, and Tateh, be sure to buy tickets for one of the following dates: December 18 - January 21
IMAGES
SHOWS AIDA TITANIC RAGTIME
