Candlelight Theatre Presents The Powerful, Tony Award-Winning Musical Ragtime

Photos taken by Tisa Della-Volpe

The Historic Candlelight Theatre presents a powerful evening about the pursuit of the American Dream.

ARDENTOWN, Del. — It’s the dawn of the 20th century in New York City and everything feels possible. Three uniquely American stories collide onstage at Wilmington’s Candlelight Theatre this fall as the company presents Ragtime, the Tony Award–winning musical that explores the promise—and contradictions—of the American Dream.

Based on E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed 1975 novel, Ragtime intertwines the lives of an upper-class white family, a Black musician from Harlem, and a Jewish immigrant and his daughter. Their journeys unfold against a backdrop of social upheaval, confronting timeless questions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair. Written by the award-winning team of Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), and Terrence McNally (book), the show earned 12 Tony nominations and four wins when it premiered on Broadway in 1998, including Best Original Score.

“There are no holds barred in this story,” said Bob Kelly, Candlelight’s artistic director. “It’s three groups of people all trying in their own way to achieve the American Dream. But it brings into question what that dream really is and how it’s impacted by each group’s experience. If people can walk away with a better understanding of—and maybe a little more compassion for—the different groups that make up this country, then our production will have done a great service.”

Director Peter Reynolds leads a creative team that includes choreographer Julianna Babb and music director Grant Uhle. Their challenge is to balance the epic sweep of the show with the intimacy of Candlelight’s converted-barn setting, where no seat is more than a few steps from the stage. Reynolds’ staging brings the large cast into close proximity with the audience, using fluid scene changes to shift among the intersecting worlds of the three central groups.

True to Doctorow’s novel, the musical features cameo appearances by real-life figures such as Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, Booker T. Washington and activist Emma Goldman, grounding the personal stories in the broader currents of American history. Ragtime music itself becomes a metaphor for social transformation—a syncopated, modern sound that pulls disparate communities into the same rhythm.

RAGTIME

The Candlelight production boasts one of the largest ensembles in the theatre’s history, including Shawn Weaver, Jason Lindner, Alexa Wilder, Anne Bragg, Paul McElwee, Jonah Matthew Phillips, Owen Ahlmer, Will McKinley, Malik Muhammad, Jessica Ball, Edward Emmi, JJ Vavrik, Aidan McDonald, Scarlett Gleason, Shana Roberts, Shaun Yates, Hanae Togami, Timothy Lamont Cannon, Adriana Devine, Kevin Gehringer, Nicci Hardaway, Jonathan Frazier, Myles Knight, Lindsay Marcus, Zoi MG McNamara, Nora Paller, Marcus Solomon and Sophie Hirwe.

Performances run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., with select midweek shows through October 26. Tickets include a full buffet dinner and free parking, giving audiences a Broadway-caliber experience without the big-city price tag.

For tickets and more information, visit candlelighttheatredelaware.org.

Editors Note:

The Candlelight Theatre in Ardentown, Delaware, began as a 19th-century barn and evolved into the state’s first dinner theater in 1969, becoming a beloved cultural landmark.

Originally known as the Harvey Barn, the building was transformed into the Robin Hood Theatre in the 1930s, hosting summer stock performances by notable stage and film actors. In 1969, Julian Borris and John O’Toole reopened the space as the Candlelight Music Dinner Theatre with a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, launching Delaware’s first dinner theater experience. Over the decades, the venue became a nurturing ground for rising talent, including future Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman and actor Bruce Willis. The theater underwent several name changes—New Candlelight Theatre in 2004 and The Candlelight Theatre in 2014—and transitioned to nonprofit management under New Candlelight Productions in 2006. Today, it produces five to six shows annually, ranging from musicals and comedies to revues and youth programming. Volunteers and community support have been central to its growth, helping modernize the facility while preserving its intimate, rustic charm. The Candlelight Theatre remains a vibrant hub for regional performing arts, blending professional productions with a welcoming, family-style atmosphere