Following the sold-out success of the local premiere of Chess in Concert this past February, Street Theatre Company (STC) brings the award-winning Broadway musical, Ragtime, for an In Concert performance.
Ragtime is based on Mr. Doctorow's landmark novel; a sleek, seductive narrative that mixed real-life historical figures with fictional characters to paint a canvas of a country dizzy from innovations in transportation and industry and the attendant social consequences. The musical intertwines the stories of three extraordinary families as they confront history's timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and what it means to live in America.
New to the STC stage in this production is Julie Forester, playing the role of the Mother. Julie was a member of the original West End Olivier award-winning production of Ragtime in London.
She says, "I was…straight out of my master's program at NYU where I did my thesis on Ragtime and understudied for the role of "Mother" at that time. When I found out that Street Theatre was doing the production...I just knew I had to audition. I have been living and working in Nashville as a songwriter/artist, vocal professor & session singer for nearly 7 years, and have not been on the stage since Ragtime in London. Sufficient to say, I am thrilled to be playing the role of Mother and working with the rest of the Street Theatre cast."
The show also stars Michael Kitts (Anatoly from STC’s Chess in Concert), Bakari King, Naeandria Callihan, and a cast of over 40 singers.
Performances are November 16-20, with shows Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $14 and are available online at www.streettheatrecompany.org. Performances are at Street Theatre, 1933 Elm Hill Pike, just off Briley Parkway. For more information, call 615-554-7414.