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. "Ragtime" is a musical about lots of different cultures. It's about different social classes. It's about integrating the classes. It's also about a lot of other things, but before I get into all that, I think I should introduce you to the three social classes in this production. This is the New Rochelle Ensemble. The New Rochelle principals are the Family (Little Boy, Mother, Father, Mother's Younger Brother, and Grandfather) They are well off, and happy with life the way it is. ---->
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. Now meet the Harlem ensemble. Oh the changing ways of the Harlem men and women during the Ragtime period! America is the land of success, and the Harlem folk are learning to adapt to this new way of living! The principal Harlem characters are Coalhouse Walker Jr and his fiancee, Sarah (who has no last name for some reason.)
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. Making up our final group in this show is the Immigrants! They travel accross the vast Atlantic Ocean hoping to make a new life for themselves and a new beginning for their children! America is the Land of Opportunity! Principal Immigrants are Tateh and the Little Girl.
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. Okay, so now we've met our fabulous cast. Now on to the plot... or some of it at least. Okay, so Father is sailing off to the North Pole with Admiral Perry and Eskimos. Mother is left in care of the house and for some reason she's left in charge of the Fireworks factory. Younger Brother is left in pursuit of Evelyn Nesbit. And Grandfather just wants to go home because his legs hurt.
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. Father sails off to the North Pole, and Mother stays ashore and sings a "Goodbye" ballad... so that he can make a costume change and the tech crew can change the scenery.
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. Now that Father is gone, Younger Brother goes to see Eveyln Nesbit every night! He is soooo happy to meet her. And she is happy to meet him too, as he provides a fabulous publicity opportunity. She kisses him for a newspaper camera, and then procedes to dump him. Aww... How sad... But he gets over it.
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. Meanwhile, Mother decides to do some gardening. What she doesn't realize that someone planted a newborn Negro baby in her garden! EEEEK!!! What a scary surprise! Luckily, the police find the mother of the baby, Sarah, and Mother (who has no name, which makes describing her kind of difficult) takes in both Sarah and the Baby. Yay.
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However, Sarah is missed by her long ago beau, Coalhouse Walker Jr. Like any typical man, he realizes after she's left him what a fabulous woman she really is, and decides that losing her was a bad thing. So, he tells his Harlem friends (in the form of a song, of course) that he wants Sarah back in his life! Hurray! He's gonna buy a Model T. Ford! Have YOU driven a Ford Lately?
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. I hope you haven't forgotten about our Immigrant friends. They have arrived in America and are very very stoked to be here. Whoopie! Look at their excited faces!
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Because Father is STILL gone at the North Pole, Mother has to take the train to the fireworks factory and take care of business. She has to take the little boy with her because I guess she can't afford a babysitter. I don't know. Anyway at the train station, she meets Tateh and the Little Girl. The little Psychic Boy predicts that some day they will know each other very well.... hmmm....
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. Sarah has combed her hair and made herself presentable. Thank god. Anyway, she then procedes to sing a very heart wrenching ballad to her baby in which she apologizes to him for burying him in the garden, and explains that her heart was broken by the baby's father.
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Mother is still caring for Sarah and the baby. Meanwhile, Coalhouse finds out where Sarah's been hanging out, and starts courting her. Sarah is having none of this. So, he starts coming around for like 5 months. Then Father comes home from the North Pole (it's about time!) and finds Mother with an African American baby and is very confused. However, all is explained with Sarah FINALLY forgives Coalhouse and they go on a happy picnic.
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. FYI: RAGTIME IS A VERY LONG AND COMPLICATED SHOW.... I DID NOT COLLECT ALL THE PICTURES TO MAKE THE STORY MAKE SENSE.... SO NOW WE HAVE TO JUMP FORWARD A BIT. THINGS YOU PROBABLY SHOULD KNOW.
. 1. COALHOUSE'S CAR IS RUINED BY SOME BITTER FIREMEN WHICH REALLY TICKS HIM OFF.
. 2. SARAH DIES.
. 3. FATHER AND MOTHER'S RELATIONSHIP IS FALLING APART.
. 4. YOUNGER BROTHER BECOMES A REVOLUTIONARY
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. Okay... so, because Coalhouse is off trying to get revenge on the evil firemen, and Sarah is dead and their lives are chaotic and stuff, Father decides that the family needs to go on a vacation. They go to Atlantic City, which was a good idea, probably, except that Tateh is there, and has the hots for Mother... Not so good considering that Mother and Father kind of don't like each other at the moment.
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Yup.... things are NOT looking so great for the two of them.... Yikes!
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. Meanwhile, Younger Brother has found Coalhouse's Gang (oh yeah, he has a gang now... i forgot to mention that...) and joins them by saying he "knows how to blow things up" which is very useful, since they decide that they might try to blow up the J.P. Morgan Library because they are vengeful and stuff like that.
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. SO: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
. 1. Coalhouse dies
. 2. Father dies.
. 3. Mother marries Tateh and they adopt Coalhouse's and Sarah's baby.
. The End
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. Click to meet the RAGTIME Cast
