Park district officials in the Illinois suburb of Wilmette cancelled a planned outdoor performance of "Ragtime," fearing that park passersby would take offense to the word, "nigger," used throughout the script and score. As Lee Bailey's EurWeb article notes, park officials admitted that they should have made that decision when they aquired the permissions to the play in January.
"Ragtime" lyricist Lynn Ahrens responded on June 27th on Playbill.com. "I find this sad and also hilarious......We feel the language is accurate and honest in the context of the era, and important to preserve. That hasn't stopped Ragtime from being produced in numerous theatres, high schools and colleges, where the heads of these institutions don't underestimate the intelligence of their audiences, whether comprised of children or adults, nor feel the need to censor and protect them from their own national history."
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