Pleasant Valley Productions presents Ragtime
West Orange community theatre company, Pleasant Valley
Productions will present the epic historical musical February 8-15 at The
Theatre at Roosevelt Middle School in West Orange. Performances are Saturday, February
8th at 7pm, Sunday, February 9th at 2pm, Thursday, February 13th, Friday, February
14th, and Saturday, February 15th at 7pm.
As part of Black History Month and the NJ 350 celebration, a special
educational talkback will follow the February 9th performance discussing the
show’s themes and historic elements. The production is directed by Camille Vecchio-DiLorenzo, with music
direction by Ilene Greenbaum and choreography by Marcel Coleman, with Howie
Tilkin serving as producer.
Ragtime
is an epic musical that paints a nostalgic and powerful portrait of life in
turn of the century America. Based on the 1975 E.L. Doctorow novel, and
enhanced by a beautiful and lush score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and
a compelling book by Terrence McNally, Ragtime
is a modern classic of American musical theatre. Three distinct stories intertwine to depict
life in the early 1900’s for three drastically different classes of Americans –
the new immigrants from Italy and Eastern Europe, the African-American working
class of Harlem and the already established and affluent Anglo-Americans. The memorable score combines the haunting
music of the European immigrants with the exciting Ragtime music of the Harlem jazz clubs to result in an
award-winning score that delights audiences.
