Monday, June 1, 2009

New York Musical 'The Tin Pan Alley Rag' Portrays Scott Joplin & Irving Berlin From June 12


[The Tin Pan Alley Rag; Artwork from RoundaboutTheatre.org]

RoundaboutTheatre.org
“Two American virtuosos. Two life stories. One hot rhythm.
In The Tin Pan Alley Rag, two of America's greatest composers share an evening of fascinating stories and toe-tapping rhythms. Irving Berlin, a young Russian immigrant who couldn't read music, transformed Broadway with hits like 'Alexander's Ragtime Band.' Scott Joplin, born the son of a slave and classically trained, inspired a brand new sound with 'The Maple Leaf Rag.' Both men sparked a musical revolution with ragtime, the first truly American musical genre. But beneath Joplin and Berlin's bright melodies lay fascinating stories of fame, love and loss. The Tin Pan Alley Rag weaves their tales together into one syncopated rhythm, as two great icons discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Roundabout Theatre Company is proud to present the New York premiere of the new musical The Tin Pan Alley Rag, written by Mark Saltzman, Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin & Scott Joplin, directed by Stafford Arima.”

MyRoundabout.org
The stretch of 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues that was once known as Tin Pan Alley is today dominated by Korean wholesalers, a few lingering plant stores, and other businesses unrelated to music publishing.” “The street’s bustle peaked around 1915, the year when Mark Saltzman begins his play The Tin Pan Alley Rag, which features the music of Berlin and Joplin. The first musical to play the Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre (previews start June 12), it opens in the bustling offices of music publishers Irving Berlin and Ted Snyder. Berlin, at 27, is already America’s preeminent songwriter, having soared from Lower East Side poverty to national prominence with 'Alexander’s Ragtime Band,' which, ironically, is several stations removed from actual ragtime. In walks a dignified, old-before-his-time Joplin, peddling his ragtime opera, Treemonisha.” [Full Post] [Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was a Ragtime and Classical composer and pianist and is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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