|
Sunrise,
New York City, April 1876. Wall Street (Prelude).
Business Men gather to discuss the morning headlines (Wall
Street Lament). Richard Hunter (Ragged Dick),
asleep in a box, is awakened by a neighborhood cop.
Soon after, joined by a first-time bootblack (Foswell),
Dick presents his sales pitch (Shine). After
being insulted by a customer, Dick encounters Allen
Carlisle, a well-dressed gentleman. Dick learns that
Carlisle was once a bootblack just like himself (Look
at Him). By serendipitous circumstance, Dick gets
a job in a haberdashery (Silas Snobden, Inc.).
Dick meets Luke Gerrish, his stepfather, fresh out of
prison. Gerrish’s philosophy is clearly different from
Dick’s (Cock and Bull). A young woman, Stacia
Jane Hauser, makes her way home to the man she loves (Maybe
Today). Dick takes his new friend Foswell to
dinner at the Wall Street Saloon where they manage to
convince the young bucks there that they are wealthy
entrepreneurs (Put Your Money In). High on
their success at the saloon, the boys make a deal (Partners).
Now that he has a proper job, Dick needs a proper
place to live. He meets Mrs. Mooney, boarding house
proprietress (The Room). Weeks pass. Lunchtime.
Dick is being tutored by Foswell and on his way to
open his first bank account. Snobden, Allen Carlisle
and the entire town give him advice (Keeping Up
with the Times). The three characters at Snobden’s
store reveal their true feelings about Dick (A
Hardworking Boy). Carlisle offers Dick a second
job as companion to his son Rob. It’s July 4th and the
three go to Union Square to join in the Centennial
festivities (Look How Far We've Come). Much
happens there, but the big event is the kidnapping of
Rob Carlisle by Gerrish. As the first act curtain
falls, the crowd is celebrating as Dick discovers Rob
is missing.
|
