Index : R : Ragtime

Structure Sub-topic of: Musicals O-Z Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 45 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display. Frequently Asked Questions & Answers There are 0 user-asked question matches ( goto )

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Ragtime

Who wrote the lyrics to the show?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Lynn Ahrens. My friend got to go to a master class with her. She also worked on "Titanic."



Who wrote the book on which the musical is based?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


E. L. Doctorow. Wonderful book - go get it! He's also the author of "World Fair." His books are a bit... odd though.



Who played Mother in the original Toronto and New York casts?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Marin Mazzie. A wonderful actress who was also in 'Passion'.



Who originated the role of Emma Goldman in Toronto?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Camille Saviola. Camille Saviola is also well known as the Kai in the first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."



Who is mentioned in the song "His Name was Coalhouse Walker" as Coalhouse's inspiration to play ragtime?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


Scott Joplin. "His name was Coalhouse Walker./Was a native of St. Louis some years before./When he heard the music of Scott Joplin..." Scott Joplin was a famous ragtime composer, creating, most famously, "The Entertainer."



Who is assassinated at the end of the play?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Harry Houdini mentions that he (Harry) was hanging over Times Square when he heard the news that the Archduke was assassinated in Sarajevo. He suddenly remembers the words of Edgar ("Warn the Duke!"), who actually is based on the psychic Edgar Cayce, and realizes that those words were the only mystical experience he ever had.



Who attended Booker T. Washington's Funeral?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


President and Mrs. Wilson. It's in the talking bit during the song.



Which University did Father attend?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


Harvard. This information is found in the song "What a Game" 'At Harvard, We were gentlemen. Men were gentlemen.' This song is really entertaining and fun, though I'm pretty sure the show would have been just as extraordinary without it. But that's just my opinion.



Which actor/actress won a Tony for "Ragtime"?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


Audra MacDonald. Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie were in "Kiss Me, Kate" together, as well.



What year did Father build the house at the crest of Broadview Avenue?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


1902. It's in the talking bit at the very beginning.



What was the name of the woman that Younger Brother was in love with?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


Evelyn Nesbitt. This musical is not only fantastic, but also a little bit of a history lesson for the early 1900's.



What was the name of the Tony Award-winning orchestrator for "Ragtime"?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


William D. Brohn. This was the first year that a Tony was given for Orchestrations. Before that, there were just Drama Desk Awards.



What type of building is Coalhouse Walker Jr. threatening to blow up in his last scene?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


library. Younger Brother is in the building with him. In the end, Father convinces Coalhouse to leave.



What group of immigrants is NOT portrayed in 'A Shetl Iz Amerike'?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Chinese. If you listen closely, you can figure out all the different languages. This song is about all the immigrants coming to Ellis island.



What ethnical background does the Fire Chief have?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Irish. He works at the Emerald Isle Engine Company.



What does Sarah do with her son after he's born?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


Buries him in a garden. After she is taken in by the family that finds him she sings "Your Daddy's Son" which explains why she buried the baby.



What does father do in the scene/song 'Journey On' that shows he is racist?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


He does not shake hands with Henson. Father also utters the line "There were gazeboes and there were no Negroes" This basically sets the tone for the whole show, but you really see how Father feels about black people in the scene with Henson by refusing to shake his hand. Nonetheless, there's a beautiful picture at the end of the show with such a multi-cultural family(Mother, Edgar, Tateh, the Little Girl, and Little Coalhouse).



What color eyes does Sarah have (according to Coalhouse)?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


brown. An entire song is dedicated to Sarah, called "Sarah Brown Eyes." Kinda obvious, isn't it?



What are the names of the composer and lyricist, respectively?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. In 1994 the two collaborated on an audition tape made up of 4 songs for the would-be musical. Opening night on Broadway was January 18, 1998.



Tateh, the Jewish immigrant, changes his name during the play. What is his name changed to?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


Baron Ashkenazy. He actually spells the name out during the song "Buffalo Nickel Photoplay Inc." Here is the quote: "And if by chance you see/a movie that was made by/remember when the name goes by/that's ASH-K-E-N-A-Z-Y/the baron, now American,/who happened once to think..."



On which day of the week did Coalhouse visit Sarah at the house in New Rochelle?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


Sunday. "Each Sunday he'd come driving. Curtains would part, Neighbors would peek." At first, Mother is hesitant to let Coalhouse Walker Jr. into her home, but as weeks pass, she invites him in and he plays the piano for her and her family, and Sarah.



Mother, just before the song "Goodbye, My Love," asks Father not to bring back too much of what?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


Polar bear skins. Father is going to the North Pole with Admiral Peary and his first mate Matthew Henson. He comes back to say that he never actually reached the North Pole and that only Henson and Peary made it, but that he got quite close, which is pretty incredible for an amateur explorer.



In what city did Ragtime have its World Premiere?

The Musical 'Ragtime' (ladymacb29)


Toronto. I saw it there! Many shows won't premiere in New York in order to give them time to work out the bugs. Also, it's cheaper putting on a show in another city - New York is expensive!



In what city did Father build his house in 1902?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


New Rochelle. "In 1902 Father built a house on the crest of the Broadview Avenue hill in New Rochelle, New York. And it seemed for some time thereafter that all the family's days would be warm and fair."



In the song/scene "Look What You've Done", what does younger brother protest Coalhouse doing?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


Turning himself in. "You can't change your demands. You are betraying us. You said we would all go free or we would all die!" Coalhouse does end up turning himself in, and getting shot and killed. Younger Brother later joins the revolutionary, Emiliano Zapata, in Mexico.



In the song "Gettin' Ready Rag" which famous inventor is talked about by the people in the factories?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


Henry Ford. When the show went on tour, a lot of the really interesting scenery pieces were left out, including the stairs on either side of the stage where various characters, like Henry Ford, appeared.



In the Prologue, Emma Goldman mentions a date that specifies during what time period the play takes place. What is this date?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


1906. This is the line: "And although the newspapers called the shooting the 'Crime of the Century', Goldman knew it was only 1906..." The next line has the chorus sing "And there were 94 years to go!"



In the original Broadway cast, who played Coalhouse Walker Jr.?

Ragtime The Musical (kantastik)


Brian Stokes Mitchell. Apparently you can only play Coalhouse if you have a stage name consisting of three names, or at least an initial! White is from a Broadway cast, Darrington from the Canadian Tour in 2002 and Rollins is from the cast pre-Broadway.



Evelyn Nesbit loses one lover to another lover (she technically loses both lovers, but for the sake of the question, we'll take it as a loss to death). What are their names, in order of who shot who?

Ragtime: The Musical (hppybob)


Harry K. Thaw and Stanford White. The entire trial of Harry K. Thaw is the focus of the song "Crime of the Century." Harry K. Thaw is acquitted for the murder of Stanford White because Evelyn Nesbit is able to convince the jury that Thaw went insane.



At the end of the show, of the main characters introduced in the beginning, which ones are alive?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


Mother, Edgar, Tateh, Little Girl. One of the most interesting parts of the show was how everyone talked about themselves in the third person. Good way to talk about people after they died!



In the beginning of the show there are three groups circling each other for the opening number. What three are they?

And Everything Was Ragtime (megrit)


African Americans, Immigrants, rich Caucasion people. The scene starts with the rich people, moves to the African Americans, then the immigrants. In the original previews showing in Toronto, the beginning was completely different. It was changed for the opening.