AN ERA EXPLODING, A CENTURY SPINNING:
Arguably the best musical of the past 20 years, the hugely ambitious “Ragtime” returns in a touring production this weekend at The Grand in Galveston. E.L. Doctorow’s panoramic novel was the perfect source for a musical and, in crafting the show, librettist Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricst Lynn Ahrens (all of whom won Tonys for their work) did full justice to its possibilities. The show deftly balances the three disparate families, who find their destinies increasingly intertwined at the dawn of the 20th century: the affluent suburban WASP family headed by Father and Mother; Harlem pianist Coalhouse Walker and his lover, Sarah; and newly arrived Latvian immigrant Tateh and his motherless daughter. Overflowing with great songs and powerful emotions, “Ragtime” shows how the forces that reshape their lives are the same ones that would shape the 20th century — probing such ever-relevant issues as women’s rights, immigration, race and class conflicts. 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; The Grand 1894 Opera House, 2020 Postoffice, Galveston; $25-$98; 800-821-1894, thegrand.com.