There is a sense of familiarity in the story itself, which appeals to people from all backgrounds.ĭoctorow’s novel was published in 1974, right before the bicentennial of the founding of America. RAGTIME has proven irresistible to both Hollywood and Broadway alike (as both film and stage versions now exist).
Played out during the swiftly changing pre-WWI time period between 19, The scenes shift between a white, middle-class, suburban family, an immigrant family newly arrived from Eastern Europe, and an African-American family attempting to live their own version of the American Dream. It is a story about our ancestors and about ourselves, about learning what it is to be American, and who gets to claim that title. Doctorow, takes place during a tumultuous time period in American history. RAGTIME, as originally conceived by novelist E.L. Some of the characters were familiar to me-like Harry Houdini-and others, like “Mother,” would become familiar after repeatedly listening to the soundtrack.īecause it is a story of my country, and my history, yet it is not the whitewashed version I got in high school. RAGTIME immensely, and was immediately drawn into the picture of America it presented. At that time there was only one theatre large enough to accommodate traveling Broadway shows, so my exposure to theatre was mostly “what you see is what you get.” I enjoyed
My first exposure to RAGTIME came through seeing it onstage in Green Bay, Wisconsin nearly seven years ago.
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