ORLANDO, Fla. – Little Radical Theatrics is presenting its 15th anniversary production of the hit Broadway musical, “Ragtime.”
The musical takes place in early 20th century America. It tells the story of three families from three different backgrounds, and their pursuit of the American dream while living in New York.
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The show follows the worlds of a wealthy white couple, a Jewish immigrant father and his daughter, and an African American ragtime musician. Together, they discover how humans are connected, the limitations of justice, and the consequences when dreams are put on hold.
Jamaal Solomon plays Coalhouse Walker, Jr., the pianist from Harlem. He said it takes a lot of heart to play the character.
“I felt honored to be trusted to tell the story of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. To be able to be pivotal to the message that we are telling as a company and to show how even today that these characters can be your family, your friend, your neighbor, or anyone, means the world to me,” Solomon said.
He shared how he relates to his character.
“Coalhouse Walker Jr. is an artist and a man of strong beliefs and conviction. He is a father who loves deeply. He believes in justice. All of the aspects speak deeply to who I am as a human,” Solomon said.
Katie Bays plays Mother, who is part of the upper-class family from New Rochelle. The family has little exposure to people from other backgrounds.
“Mother hits so close to home on so many issues. Growing up in a fairly sheltered small town, I did not have many of my eye-opening experiences of how other people go through life until I was an adult,” Bays said.
“Mother is not exposed to a life beyond her ideal until her husband leaves for a year-long journey, and when it is up to her, she learns her own values and how to navigate the world that is being exposed to her after being sheltered for so long. Mother and I also share a hope and belief that life is going to get better for everyone, but a tenacity to continue to stand up for what is right, even when it may be difficult.” she went on to explain.
Bryan Boggiano plays Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. In the show, he arrives to Ellis Island with his daughter.
“My family actually came to Orlando from Puerto Rico many years ago when things were not going so well for us on the island in search of the American Dream, just like my character does with his daughter in the show,” Boggiano said.
He said his father passed away a few years ago, and he believes he would’ve loved his character.
“I see reflected in Tateh’s experience so many of the same things my parents and I went through as things were not as they seemed when we made the move, and even though it was hard and sometimes, all hope was lost, we were able to continue moving forward and fight for a new life,” Boggiano said.
“Ragtime The Musical” includes many historical figures, including J.P. Morgan, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, and Henry Ford.
The show stars 56 actors ages 5 to 65 and up.
For our previous stories on Little Radical Theatrics, they were performing at other, smaller theatres. They have since outgrown their space, and for the first time, they’ll be performing at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts inside the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater.
They hope to have the rest of their season there and their next season, too.
Click here for ticket information on “Ragtime The Musical.”
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