Ragtime, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical drawn from the novel by E.L. Doctorow, gets its UK debut in concert from Oct. 26 at the International Festival of Musical Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.
The Oct. 13-Nov. 3 fest celebrates classic, recent and new works in a variety of formats, from readings to concerts to productions. Musical films such as "Funny Girl" and "Singin' in the Rain" are also part of the mix at the inaugural festival.
Stafford Arima, Frank Galati's associate on Ragtime on Broadway, directs the concert cast of the show by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The cast includes Maria Friedman (Mother), Matthew White (Younger Brother), Graham Bickley (Tateh), American actor Lawrence Hamilton (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.), American actress Kenita Miller (Sarah) and Dave Willetts (Father), among others.
The concert will be semi-staged, and be filmed by the BBC. David Loud is the musical director.
For more information on the International Festival of Musical Theatre which will take place at venues all over the city of Cardiff, Wales, visit www.cardiffmusicals.com. — By Kenneth Jones
and Ernio Hernandez