Wheels of a Dream (From "Ragtime"): Piano/Vocal/Chords

Flaherty's gift for writing vocally grateful lines means singers at all levels can find their voice in these duets. The collection's range of musical styles and character pairings gives directors genuine flexibility in building a cohesive cabaret program without sacrificing theatrical authenticity.

These duets capture the musical theatre tradition of intimate, character-driven moments. Whether you're navigating the ragtime stride of one piece or the romantic sweep of another, the songs invite singers to balance theatrical truth with musical refinement.

This collection serves singers preparing for auditions, cabaret performances, or vocal recitals who want to explore contemporary musical theatre repertoire with sophisticated harmonic language. Directors building review or cabaret concerts will find the breadth of duet combinations and included background notes particularly valuable for casting and program notes.

• Listen closely to how each song establishes its emotional landscape in the first few bars; let that set the tone for your interpretation before adding personal inflection.
• Blend your voice with your scene partner by matching vowel placement and vibrato width, especially during unison passages or moments of musical agreement.
• Use the character notes provided to understand not just what your character wants in the duet, but how the other character's presence shifts that objective.

Build a themed cabaret around Flaherty's work by pairing these duets with solo material from his other shows, or integrate them into a broader "Contemporary Musical Theatre" review. The variety of voice part combinations means you can program strategically around your available singers without compromising artistic vision.

• Interpreting character relationships through vocal blend and phrasing
• Managing contemporary musical theatre harmony (extended chords, unexpected modulations)
• Building sustained vocal lines over complex piano accompaniment
• Responding to a scene partner's musical choices in real time