Rags to Riches Author:Aurand Harris, Horatio Alger, Glenn Mack Play script developed from Horatio Alger by Aurand Harris. Musical score by Glenn Mack available from the publisher, Anchorage Press Plays. Perfectly straight-faced treatment of the dime-novel hero who rose from rags to riches. Cast of 3 women, 6 men, extras. Four sets, painted on reversible screens and set in place by the actors. Late Victorian... more » costumes. Produced at the Shanghai Children's Art Theatre, 1987.
Ragged Dick, an honest, upright lad who earns his meager living by shining shoes, is entrusted with a $2.00 bill by a rich banker. When he delivers the change to the banker's home, this manly boy attracts the interest of the banker's daughter, who stirs his ambition. In a dramatic scene, Dick has the opportunity to rescue a poor little Match Boy from a tenement fire; and when the Match Boy proves to be the heir to a fortune, the banker recognizes Dick's sterling qualities, and starts him on the road to riches.« less