Bway's 'Coalhouse' to Lead Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre's RAGTIME, 3/18-5/23

Quentin Earl Darrington, who recently starred as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the Broadway revival of RAGTIME, will take to the stage in the same role at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Theater beginning March 18 and running through March 23.

The production will be directed by Rachel Rockwell. She said of the show, "I first saw "Ragtime" in one of its pre-Broadway tryouts more than a decade ago, I knew it was a show I wanted to direct. Epic in scale, this story weaves together such historical figures as Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington and Evelyn Nesbit with 3 fictitious families, one white, one black and one immigrant. Its sweeping score and beautifully woven plot so accurately portray the human condition that more than a century later we see the characters' struggles and triumphs still mirror our own.

Drury Lane Oakbrook's production will use the original costumes from the 1998 Broadway Production which won a Tony Award.

The cast includes Valisia LeKae (Sarah), Larry Adams (Father), Don Forston (J.P. Morgan), Cory Goodrich (Mother), Robert Hildreth (Grandfather), James Earl Jones II (Booker T. Washington), Mark David Kaplan (Tateh), George Keating (Stanford White), Michael Lindner (Willie Conklin), Cathy Lord (Emma Goldman), Max Quinlan (Mother's Younger Brother), Summer Smart (Evelyn Nesbit), Stef Tovar (Harry Houdini) and Jonathan Weir (Henry Ford). Daniel Coonley and Zachary Keller will share the role of The Little Boy; Jennifer Baker and Elianna Schnittman will share the role of The Little Girl; and Justin Hurst and Gabriel Simpson will share the role of Young Coalhouse.

The cast will also feature ensemble members Anne Acker, Melody Betts, Karen Burthwright, Gary Carlson, McKinley Carter, Jameson Cooper, Dwelvan David, Stephane Duret, Caitlainne Gurreri, Brandon Koller, Ann McMann, Genevieve Perrino, Karen Richardson, Travis Turner and George Wolff.
The creative team of the production features William Osetek as artistic director, Kevin Depinet as set designer, Sage Carter as projection designer, Roberta Duchak as musical director, Brenda Winstead as additional costume designer, Erika Senase as costume manager, Jesse Klug as lighting designer, and Garth Helmy as sound designer.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit online at www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.