Culture
Ohio Valley Summer Theater Presents “Ragtime”
By: Elliot Nicolson
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Ohio Valley Summer Theater (OVST) returns to the Baker Theater July 12 with the classic Broadway musical Ragtime. Ragtime marks the second show of OVST’s 2012 season, and will be performed through July 29.
Written by famed playwright Terrence McNally and based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime paints a portrait of turn-of-the-century American life by weaving together the tales of three very different families: an upper middle-class white family, a socialist immigrant Jewish family, and an African American family in Harlem.
The story told in Ragtime is a fictional one. However, Ragtime calls upon true-to-life historical figures to tell its tale — figures such as Booker T. Washington, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, Evelyn Nesbit, J.P Morgan and Harry Houdini. These characters help to exemplify Ragtime’s ageless themes, particularly the divide among rich and poor Americans.
However, by no means is Ragtime a dry, historical story. Traditionally, Ragtime is known as a musical of grandiose scale with huge scenic, costuming, and technical treatments. Under the direction of the veteran Broadway director and stage manager Dale R. Shields, Ragtime promises to be one of the biggest performances OVST has ever hosted in the Baker Theater of Kantner Hall.
Ragtime will run July 12-14, 19–21, and 26–28 at 8:00pm in the Baker Theater of Kantner Hall. There will also be 2:00pm Sunday matinee shows on July 15, 22, and 29. For details, visit www.ovst.org or call the OVST ticket office at 740-593-9696.