City Springs Theatre Company brings its own production of “Ragtime: The Musical” to the stage this week.
The musical is set in New York City during the turn of the century, with fictional and real people from history as characters. The storyline weaves the lives of three very different families, including a “stifled” upper-class housewife, a “determined” Jewish immigrant, and a “daring” Harlem musician. All are in search of the American Dream.
“Ragtime: The Musical” opens in Byers Theatre at the Performing Arts Center in Sandy Springs on Friday at 8 p.m. and continues through March 30. Daytime student matinees, recommended for ages 9 to 2, will take place at 10 a.m., March 20 and March 27. Tickets for the regular show will be $64 to $170. The student matinee tickets are priced at $3 to $5.
“It really is about the melting pot of America,” said Natalie DeLancey, executive director of City Springs Theatre Company, of Ragtime. “It’s a beautiful story. It really takes different people to make up this beautiful country that we are today.”
The Tony Award-winning “Ragtime” story is based on the historical fiction novel by E.L. Doctorow. The 1998 Broadway production was awarded Best Book of a Musical (Terrence McNally) and Best Original Score (Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens). And the now six-time Tony-Award-winning actress Audra McDonald won Best Featured Actress in Musical for the production.
DeLancey said, “Ragtime” is the biggest show that the company has produced. The theater company usually stages more commercialized shows, she said, noting the production of “Frozen” last December.
“Not only is it the biggest show we’ve produced, but it’s a very delicate one that requires a great deal of respect and empathy from every artist involved,” DeLancey added.
Many of the cast members have appeared in previous City Springs Theatre Company productions. The show includes Broadway performers such as Jonathan Christopher, who appeared in the recent revival of “Sweeney Todd,” and Kristine Reese, who appeared in “Les Miserables.”
City Springs Theatre Company is the resident theatre company of the Performing Arts Center. And while it’s owned and operated by the city of Sandy Springs, the theater company is a nonprofit. Delancey said that the company relies on ticket sales for 65% of its budget. The rest comes from individual, foundation, and corporate donations.
Since 2018, the theatre company has served 270,000 patrons and 135,000 students, DeLancey said.
The executive director added that the student matinees for “Ragtime” will draw nearly 2,000 students from across metro Atlanta.
“From our standpoint, we really want to impact the whole community,” DeLancey said. “We want to find ways to reach every demographic that can join us. I feel very strongly that we’ve got to develop audience members for years to come. It’s not always a part of everyone’s household.”
