On Stage: Veteran music acts come to local venues

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

Music fans have a choice of tasty concerts by veteran bands over the next week including a veteran New Jersey band that is celebrating its 45th anniversary, an Anglo-Dutch band that has released well over 100 albums since forming in 1980, a Chicago band that is soaring to new heights with a recently-added singer and a Philly band that has been a part of the local scene since 1999.

The Claudettes are a Chicago-based band whose music spans a wide array of genres — jazz, punk, Chicago blues, pop standards and rock.

The Claudettes, who are driven by the music of founding member Johnny Iguana, combine the Chicago blues-piano tradition with the energy of rockabilly and punk and the sultry sound of ’60s soul-jazz to create a thrilling new spin on American roots music.

The band has performed all over Europe and in virtually every state in the Union.

Iguana, who grew up in Fort Washington, has brought his band to play in clubs and theaters in Philadelphia, at numerous venues all around the Philly suburbs and even northern Delaware – but never Delaware County.

Last September, the Claudettes – pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana, bassist/singer Zach Verdoorn, vocalist Rachel Williams and drummer Michael Caskey – made their Delco debut at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com).

On October 18, the Claudettes will make a return visit to the popular Delaware County venue. That show marked the area debut of Williams. The previous shows featured long-time Claudettes vocalist Berit Ulseth.

On the band’s website, Iguana posted, “Hello, everybody. After three albums and an EP, spanning six years, Berit Ulseth has moved on to new chapters in life, away from the Claudettes’ van. We love and miss her.

“As you all know, Berit is simply magnificent. We were unspeakably lucky to hear that voice all those years, in our practice space, on our stages and on our records.

“We are also lucky to be able to look at a new future with a Chicago singer — Rachel Williams.”

Williams adds a new dimension to the Claudettes – especially onstage.

“Rachel is a six-foot Texan with a mohawk – and a big soulful voice and dynamic stage presence,” said Iguana, during a phone interview last week from his home in Chicago. “She stalks the stage.”

The band’s most recent album is “The Claudettes Go Out!,” which was released via Forty Below in October 2022.

 “We have completed already more than an album’s worth of songs,” said Iguana. “We planned on having an album release this year. It’s been finished but now it’s going to be next year. We do have a single and video this year.

“This is our first record with Rachel in the band. We recorded more than we need for the album. Rachel and I have started writing together and it has gone really well. She’s been with the group since 2023 so it’s time for a record.

“She’s a dynamo on stage and she’s done a lot with this record. She was recommended to us in Chicago when people knew we were looking for a singer.

“Zach knew her and had played with her before. And she was a fan of our band. Our first gig together was in Grand Rapids, Michigan in spring 2023.”

The Claudettes excel in the studio but really hit their peak when they perform live onstage.

“Our shows are really special,” said Iguana. “Touring is great. After what we went through with the pandemic, we don’t take anything for granted — including the van’s checkups and oil changes.”

Iguana wears many hats with the Claudettes. He is the singer, main writer, musical director, booking agent and spokesperson.

“The percentage of time I spend writing and recording is miniscule compared to all the other things I have to do to keep things going,” said Iguana.

“I spend a lot of time booking shows, arranging for our lodging, sending out posters, arranging promo for our shows and editing our music videos.”

For “The Claudettes Go Out!,” the band completed two sessions.

The first was recorded and co-produced in Chicago by recent Grammy nominee Anthony Gravino (Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter) and mixed in NYC by Grammy-winning legend Kevin Killen (David Bowie, U2, Elvis Costello).

The second session, in Chicago, was helmed by Grammy-winning producer Ted Hutt (Violent Femmes, Old Crow Medicine Show) and mixed in LA by Hutt and Ryan Mall. It was mastered by Joe La Porta at Sterling Sound.

Iguana is a prolific writer.

“I’m writing all the time,” said Iguana. “For us, new songs are the most exciting thing.  I start with chords and melodies. I start with building blocks.

“And we record a lot of our shows. We listen to them over and over and learn a lot from listening.

“Writing music is a good expenditure of time – doing stuff you love.”

Iguana first gained renown as pianist for blues giant Junior Wells and as co-founder of punk-organ band Oh My God. He has toured or recorded with Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, James Cotton and more.

He has played on three Grammy-nominated albums and earned a 2021 Blues Music Award nomination for Piano Player of the Year.

“The Claudettes recorded their 2018 album, “Dance Scandal At The Gymnasium!,” with Grammy-winning producer Mark Neill (Black Keys, Old 97’s, J. Roddy Walston, J.D. McPherson).

The Claudettes’ have a strange history – and an interesting story behind their name.

“Michael Caskey, a drummer from Chicago, and I had a piano-and-drum duo,” said Iguana.

“We called a place called Claudette’s Bar in 2010 looking for a gig in between Chicago and St. Louis. Claudette booked us into her bar in Oglesby (Illinois) and fell in love with the band.

“So, she hired us as her house band and put them. That drummer’s wife had a baby, so we hired a new drummer and then expanded to a four-piece. Since then, we’ve done a ton of shows.”

The show in suburban Philly this week will be a homecoming for Iguana.

“I was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Philly area,” said Iguana. “I graduated from Upper Dublin High School and the University of Pennsylvania.

“Then, I moved to New York City where I worked in publishing and played piano. I began meeting blues musicians and playing in blues bands. I met Junior Wells in Chicago and played piano in his band.”

As fans of the Claudettes know, the band has created its own genre.

“The Claudettes blazed a new trail masquerading as a blues/roots bands but it’s a punk band at its core,” said Iguana.

“We can play a punk bill as a rock band or a different bill as a blues band. We really put a lot of heart into our live show. We combine musicianship and humor.”

Video link for The Claudettes – https://youtu.be/VebY4XZXumw.

The show at Jamey’s on October 18 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Jamey’s House of Music will present Tommy Conwell on October 16, One Dime Band and The Porkroll Project on October 17 and Steve Shanahan’s Blues Muthas on October 19.

The Smithereens are the Garden State representatives – and music business survivors. The years go by, and the Smithereens just keep rocking on.

The Smithereens, who are headlining a show at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, www.ardmoremusic.com) on October 17, are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey. The band formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & percussion).

The Smithereens are best known for a string of hits in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, including “Only a Memory,” “A Girl Like You” and “Too Much Passion.”

The band has recorded close to 20 albums beginning with “Especially for You” in 1986.

The original lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band. Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar until Mesaros’ return in 2016.

After DiNizio died in 2017, the band continued performing live shows as a trio (Babjak, Mesaros and Diken) with various guest vocalists.

The Smithereens, who are closing in on their 25th anniversary, have forged ahead despite all obstacles – including the loss of DiNizio, who was front man and guitarist.

“We never broke up – even when Pat died,” said Babjak, during a recent phone interview from his home in central New Jersey.

“We’ve been playing non-stop since 1980. There’s never been a month that we didn’t play – except during COVID.”

The band’s roots go back beyond 1980.

“Denis and I met on the first day of high school back in 1971 – in the first class,” said Babjak. “I had a picture of The Who on my biner. He was sitting behind me and noticed the photo. He asked if I like The Who. I told him I played guitar, and he said that he played drums. We grew up together. We practiced as a duo. Mike picked up the bass and joined us. Then, we were looking for a lead singer, and we got Pat.”

Babjak, Diken, and Mesaros are all from Carteret, New Jersey and graduated from Carteret High School in 1975.

In 1980, they formed the band with DiNizio, who was from Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

DiNizio had placed a classified ad in The Aquarian Weekly looking for a drummer to help on a demo tape. Diken answered it and later introduced his schoolmates Babjak and Mesaros as well. The rest is history.

DiNizio died in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on December 12, 2017, at the age of 62.

According to bandmates, his health declined following a series of issues that began in 2015, resulting in nerve damage that limited the use of his right hand and arm.

The surviving members of the band, including Mesaros, performed together as The Smithereens in a tribute show to DiNizio on January 13, 2018, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey.

In a five-hour concert, the band was joined by Steven Van Zandt, Dave Davies, Ted Leo, Robin Wilson, Lenny Kaye, Southside Johnny, Marshall Crenshaw, Bebe Buell, Richard Barone, Tony Shanahan, Graham Maby, Freedy Johnston, Kenny Howes, John Jorgenson, Peter Zaremba, Keith Streng, producer Ed Stasium, Andy Burton, and various other musicians. The Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship was established at the Count Basie’s Performing Arts Academy.

In 2018, Babjak, Diken and Mesaros decided to continue the band’s musical legacy and tour with different guest vocalists, including Marshall Crenshaw and Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms, separately taking over lead vocal duties at concerts throughout the United States.

“When Pat died, we did a benefit show and the money raised went to a music scholarship fund in Red Bank,” said Babjak. “We asked a lot of people to sing with us.

“Marshall Crenshaw and our band have been long-time friends. It’s the same with Robin Wilson from the Gin Blossoms. After that show, both Marshall and Robin said – if you want to do it again, just let us know.

“So, we did, and they’ve been singing with us ever since. Life has to go on. I lost my wife seven years ago. That doesn’t mean you can’t love again.”

After 12 years without a new album, the Smithereens have released two albums in the last two years – “2011” in 2021 and “The Lost Album” in 2022.

“Our last studio album was ‘2011’,” said Babjak. “We did just release a record in 2022 that was recorded in 1993 between contracts.”

In September 2022, The Smithereens released “The Lost Album.” It was originally recorded in 1993 between their recording contracts with Capitol and RCA. Eleven of the songs on “The Lost Album” (minus the Babjak-penned “I’m Sexy”) previously appeared on DiNizio’s 1995 “Song Demos” release (MCA Publishing).

Selected songs were also previously included on DiNizio’s “Songs and Sounds” (1997), “Pat DiNizio” (2005), and “The Best of Pat DiNizio” (2015).

“We were between recording contracts, and we recorded 24 songs on our own dime,” said Babjak. “We were let go by Capitol. We were going to do a self-released album. Then, we signed with RCA and used 12 of those songs for the RCA record.”

“A Date with The Smithereens” was that RCA album – and the only one they did with that label. The next four albums were with Koch Entertainment followed by a pair for eOne Music. “The Lost Album” was released on September 23, 2022, by Sunset Blvd Records.

“I’m in the studio doing demos for the next album,” said Babjak. “I’m constantly writing songs. I have a guitar in every room.

“With our live shows, we play songs from all our albums. We definitely want the crowd to get to hear what they want. We’ll do a few from ‘The Lost Album.’ And we also want to throw in a few curveballs.”

The show at Ardmore will feature Babjak, Diken and bassist Graham Maybe – and a new vocalist.

“For this show, we have John Cowsill doing vocals,” said Babjak. “He was a member of his family band, The Cowsills, and he was the Beach Boys’ drummer for 22 years.

“He’s also involved in a recording project with Vickie Peterson from The Bangles.

“He’s a friend and he’s filling in for Marshall and Robin, who aren’t available.

“Years ago, we saw The Cowsills opening for Screaming Trees in 1991. I said to Dennis that this guy would be great to sing backup for a new song I wrote called ‘Now and Then.’

“We contacted him, and he was eager to do it. John is a good guy to hang out with, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Video link for The Smithereens – https://youtu.be/HucM3jTzudY.

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall on October 17 will start at 8 p.m. The opening act is Freedy Jonston.

Tickets are $39.85

Other upcoming acts at the Ardmore Music Hall are Monophonics on October 16 and Kolton Moore & The Clever Few on October 21.

The Legendary Pink Dots – an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in 1980 – have found a genre all their own.

Although far outside the mainstream, LPD have released more than 200 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently. Distinctive vocals and lyrical imagery are a big part of the band’s universal appeal.

On October 22, The Legendary Pink Dots will return to the area for a show at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, kungfunecktie.com).

The Legendary Pink Dots have certainly earned their “legendary” status by now. The band, which is based in the Netherlands and has always featured a lineup with English and Dutch musicians, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and next.

The LPD always had two core members – singer/songwriter/keyboardist Edward Ka-Spel and

keyboardist Phil Knight – along with a variety of rotating musicians and instrumental lineups.

The current LPD lineup includes Ka-Spel (voice, keyboards, devices, gadgets, keyboards, interference, premonitions), Randall Frazier (keyboards, soundscapes, electronics devices, technology), Erik Drost (acoustic, electric, bass and Hawaiian guitars) and Joep Hendrikx (electronics, effects).

“Phil decided to retire a few years ago,” said Ka-Spel, during a phone interview Tuesday from a tour stop in Tampa, Florida. “Phil left in 2021. For a long time now, it’s been mainly me and Eric Drost.

“We also have Randall Frazier, a keyboard player who has a really big set-up, and Joep Hendrikx on electronics. Joep is not on stage, but he is one of the band.

“This is probably my favorite Legendary Pink Dots lineup. We work together really well.”

Better known throughout Europe than in the states, the Dots’ music has elements of rock, jazz, psychedelia, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde.

The Legendary Pink Dots, who released their new album

“So Lonely in Heaven” on January 17, 2025, are in the middle of a stateside tour supporting the new disc.

The band offered the following album information on its website —

“SO LONELY IN HEAVEN – THE CREATION
“So Lonely in Heaven” is The Legendary Pink Dots’ second album since the World stopped for a Global Pandemic.
With members scattered across three countries and two continents, our guilty confession is that quite a few Air Miles were consumed in its creation.
Ideas were spun across Cyberspace for months, but the magic happened collectively in small spaces with the tape running.
SO LONELY IN HEAVEN – THE MESSAGE
The machine is everything we are. It sees everything, hears everything, knows everything and feeds, speeds, drinks us down, spits us out – we lost control of it at the instant of its conception.
You may cough, curse and die, but the machine will resurrect you without the flaws, at your peak, smiling from a screen, bidding someone in a lonely room to join you.
It’s an invitation from Heaven, where anyone can be anything they want to be, but it’s a Nation of One.
You’ll be everything we are. You’ll be a shadow of yourself. You’ll repeat yourself- endlessly. You’ll be desperate for some kind of explanation.
You’ll be lonely. So very lonely…”

Ka-Spel offered more.

“Most of it was recorded in my little studio in London,” said Ka-Spel. “The band is based pretty much in Italy. Eric is closer in the Netherlands.

“Randall will send me ideas. I’ll work on them and then Eric will take the songs.

“It’s a process that started with recording earlier albums during COVID. It was the only way to do things.  Now, we do it because we’re all living in different countries.

“We do get together as well. A lot of the music is made in the same room. But for the early parts, we send ideas off to each other.

“It’s just exciting when we’re recording. There are a lot of ideas shooting from all angles.”

The “So Lonely in Heaven” tour allows the songs to develop even more.

“On this tour, we’re playing most of songs from the new album,” said Ka-Spel. “There are a few we don’t play because they don’t work so well when done live.

“We also play some songs from recent albums with new interpretations. It’s an ongoing process.”

The Legendary Pink Dots are prolific. Their Bandcamp site includes more than 300 listings of Dots’ studio albums, live LPD releases, side projects by Ka-Spel and The Silverman and compilations.

Their debut album, “Only Dreaming” was released in 1981. Their albums “Angel in the Detail” (2019), “Pages of Aquarius” (2016) and “The Gethsemane Option” (2013) were issued on a Philadelphia label, Metropolis Records.

The Dots also release a lot of music on their own. One of LPD’s projects is its “Chemical Playschool” series of albums.

“We released ‘Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24’ earlier this year and ‘Chemical Playschool Volume 25’ is coming out next month,” said Ka-Spel.

“And the ‘The Legendary Pink Dots’ Hallowe’en Special 2025’ just came out last month.”

Other LPD releases in 2025 are “Live at the Rave Milwaukee 20 June 2000” and “Portals in the Storm” (both in July) and “Saucers Over Lincoln Redux” in August along with two Ka-Spel releases — “The Human Cannonball” in July and “A Monument to Wasted Tears” to be released in November.

“If I tried to remember all our albums and talk a little about each, it might carry into my next lifetime,” said Ka-Spel.

The show at Kung Fu Necktie on Wednesday night will feature a lot of thought-provoking and very listenable music.

“This is a very dynamic tour,” said Ka-Spel. “We play a long time – one hour and 40 minutes – so there is so much place to improvise.”

Video link for the Legendary Pink Dots — https://youtu.be/d7ZeE5LNJEc.

The show at King Fu Necktie on October 22, which has Orbit Service as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $29.65.

Humbleman Band is one of the Philadelphia area’s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.

The talented sextet, whose members reside mostly in the northwest region of the Philadelphia area, will have the opportunity to play a gig in its own backyard this weekend.

Humbleman Band (www.facebook.com/humblemanband) will be performing at the Mermaid Inn (7654 Winston Road, Philadelphia, themermaidinn.net) on October 17.

Humbleman Band’s current line-up is Charlie Cooper – writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander – vocals; Boz Heinly – bass; and Buck Buchannan – drums.

“Humbleman Band was formed in 1999,” said “Cholly” Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown. “I was in a band with our drummer Buck Buchanan. Three of us were living near each other in South Philly and we gradually picked up people.

“The third guy was bassist Bruce Koch, who just died a year ago from a massive heart attack. That was a real loss – as a friend and as a bandmate.

“We weren’t sure we were going to pick up the pieces. We were using hired hands to fill in. We added a permanent bass player – Boz Heinly, who lives in Plymouth Meeting.

“We get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

Humbleman Band, which is billed on the Mermaid Inn’s website as “Orig blues, funk, rock & reggae,” is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.

“We seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,” said Cooper.  “We put out an album a few years ago called ‘Least Bad of Humbleman 1984-2009.’ That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.”

The band released its albums “Late Bloom” in fall 2014 and “Beautiful Day” in November 2018.

Humbleman Band, a rock quintet that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged – songs with lyrics inspired by current events.

“We just finished wrapping up our next album which has been two years in the making,” said Cooper. “We went into the studio a few months ago.

“We recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio, J-Street Studios.

“The last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.

“We’ll have an ‘official’ record release on November 1 at Black Squirrel Club in Fishtown (1049 Sarah Street, Philadelphia).

“The people that run that club saw us at our recent show at the Mermaid Inn. They liked what they heard and sked us to play their club.”

The album’s title is “Looking Up” and it is well-named. The LP, which has an up-tempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band’s best recording yet.

“The title track – “Looking Up” – showcases the group’s optimism with lyrics such as, “Not so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse” and “Things are looking more up, my friend, that’s how I’m feelin’ today.”

Like many of the songs on the album, the title track gets your lips smiling and your foot tapping.

However, Humbleman Band will not be introducing any of the songs on October 17 when it headlines the show at Dawson Street Pub.

“We won’t be performing any new songs at Friday night’s show,” said Cooper. “Our album release show is November 1 so we’re saving the songs for then.

“The album is already available online. It is streaming now on all platforms — Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp.”

Humbleman Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.

Video link for Humbleman Band — https://youtu.be/01Clk69MaAU.

The show at the Mermaid Inn on October 17 will start at 8 p.m.

Now through October 19, the Philadelphia Ballet is presenting “An Evening of Horror” at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, www.philadelphiaballet.org).

Philadelphia Ballet presents a powerful double bill that spans the breadth of American storytelling through dance.

This extraordinary pairing of Agnes de Mille’s haunting masterpiece “Fall River Legend” with Juliano Nunes’ world premiere “Valley of Death” offers audiences a glimpse into the dark corners of American life, reimagined through virtuosic contemporary movement.

“Fall River Legend”

Step into the passionate world of Agnes de Mille’s psychological thriller, based on the infamous story of Lizzie Borden. Created in 1948 for Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre), “Fall River Legend” stands as one of her most daring works, demonstrating her genius for combining classical ballet technique with psychologically expressive gesture and American folk forms.

This landmark of American dance theater peels back the layers of one of history’s most compelling mysteries, revealing the complex emotions and societal pressures that drove a New England woman to the edge. Through de Mille’s masterful choreography, witness how stifling Victorian morality and family dynamics explode into a tale of revenge and redemption.

“Valley of Death”

Rising choreographic star Juliano Nunes debuts a Philadelphia Ballet premiere with a bold new vision of American resilience. In “Valley of Death,” a masked ball turns into a psychological nightmare as Agatha, a mysterious and supernatural figure, manipulates the celebration to poison its host Oscar, leading to his capture.

Love and light emerge as powerful forces, allowing Oscar to escape and defeat her realm, demonstrating the enduring power of love over darkness.

This performance contains mature themes and theatrical depictions of violence, including implied murder and dark or supernatural elements. While graphic acts are not shown explicitly, suspenseful and unsettling scenes are present. Parental discretion is advised.

Performances are October 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and October 18 and 19 at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices start at $33.

“The Unexpected 3rd: A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive” is now running through October 26 at People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, www.peopleslight.org).

The Obie-winning artist’s solo show explores getting old, dealing with identity and reinvention with fierce humor and radical honesty.

This raw, poetic and darkly funny show invites audiences into Grody’s intimate reflections on aging, identity and staying true to one’s self — no matter what the world expects of you.

Following sold-out readings at the 2024 Kiln New Works Festival at People’s Light, “The Unexpected 3rd” returns to the theatre that helped spark its development, now taking center stage as the season opener.

According to Grody, “The transition into elderhood is not just bewildering but equal parts empowering, mysterious and absurd. “This show is about living truthfully, unapologetically and with unyielding curiosity at 78 and beyond. It feels especially right to debut it at People’s Light, a place that embraces honesty, complexity and the full spectrum of being human.”

Directed by acclaimed regional theatre director and Grody’s longtime friend and collaborator Timothy Near, the production playfully blurs the line between personal monologue and theatrical memoir, inviting audiences of all generations to reflect on what it means to grow older in a culture obsessed with staying young.

At its core, “The Unexpected 3rd” is a dynamic and real-time contemplation of a universal question: What happens when you’re no longer who you were but not yet someone else?

“The Unexpected 3rd” through October 26 on the Steinbright Stage at People’s Light.

Ticket prices start at $35.

The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is presenting

“Ragtime: The Musical” now through October 26.

“Ragtime” blends fictional narratives with authentic historical figures and events.

The story focuses on Coalhouse Walker, Jr., — and his beloved Sarah. Walker is a Black pianist who buys a Model T Ford and sets off a series of events that span all levels of New York City society

It also features magician Harry Houdini, industrialist Henry Ford, celebrity party girl Evelyn Nesbit, civil rights leader Booker T. Washington, architect Stanford White, anarchist Emma Goldman, a wealthy white family living in suburban New Rochelle led by matriarch Mother and Tateh (a Jewish Latvian immigrant who becomes a movie director) and his little girl.

The show explores themes of racism, injustice, hope, and dreams amid the changes in society, music, and culture rising in New York City — and across America.

Three social castes in turn-of-the-century New York introduce themselves to the audience.

The first is an upper-class white family from New Rochelle — the Little Boy (Edgar), his Father (who runs a fireworks factory), Mother, Mother’s Younger Brother, and Grandfather. They live a genteel life and enjoy a lack of racial and ethnic diversity.

The second is the Black residents of Harlem, including a beautiful young woman named Sarah, who adores the pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr.

The third are immigrants from Europe on the Lower East Side, among them “Tateh,” a Jewish artist from the Baltic states and his young daughter.

These three worlds are connected by narration from the luminaries — J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, and Evelyn Nesbit.

Even though “Ragtime” is set in the early 20th century, it shares troubling topics with today’s world – stifling prejudice, xenophobia and unrelenting racism.

The show will run now through October 26.

Tickets, which include pre-show dinner and free parking, are $75.50 for adults, $35 for children (ages 4-12) and $35 for “Show Only.”

Dinner and Show times: Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, 6 p.m. for meal and 8 p.m. for show; Sunday Matinees, 1 p.m. for meal and 3 p.m. for show; Wednesday Matinees, 11 a.m. for meal and 1 p.m. for show.

Candlelight’s Quizzo Night is scheduled for October 20 and the monthly Candlelight Comedy Club will be held on October 23 with Dennis Rooney and Lori Palminteri.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will present “It’s Not Mansplaining, It’s Old Mansplaining” on October 17 and “Dueling Pianos with The Philly Keys” on October 22.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is presenting “Halloween Jam” on October 17 and 18.

The Colonial Theater (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com/events) will host Rodney Crowell on October 22.

Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will have Damn the Torpedoes on October 17 and the Steve Morse Band on October 18.