E.L. Doctorow's 1975 best-seller, “Ragtime,” probably would not rank high on anyone’s list of books that cry out to be turned into musicals. A portrait of America in the early 20th century, it follows an anonymous, well-to-do family from New Rochelle, N.Y., as they make “Forrest Gump”-ian connections with some of the major figures of the day, brushing up against a few controversies along the way.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” is so stacked with classic songs that even seeing them all listed together dizzies the head — “My Favorite Things,” “Maria,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” “So Long, Farewell,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” the title piece about the hills being alive with … well, you know.

It’s slightly jarring to see the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre mainstage completely exposed as director Todd Espeland’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” begins: At first, there is nothing on the stage except a dozen or so empty chairs.

At first glance, you might wonder how the work of S.E. Hinton could possibly connect with today’s teens. Something of a trailblazer in the 1960s, Hinton was barely out of high school when she sold “The Outsiders,” a strikingly honest look at high school life and gang rivalries that her publishers feared would be overlooked if critics knew it was written by a woman (the initials stand for Susan Eloise).

Created as a speakeasy-style venue to hear live blues in downtown Muskegon, The Alley Door Club even had an alley door entrance when it kicked off 11 years ago.

During a time of year when there is not a lot to do in Muskegon and there aren’t many people around, Alley Door’s longevity is a testament to its success. The club added craft beer to the lineup last year and will celebrate another season with local and regional musicians and beer on tap from West Michigan breweries. For those who don’t like beer, there’s also a full bar. 

Opera Grand Rapids has hired Maestro James Meena as its new artistic director, beginning in the 2017-2018 season.

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At “Mozart, Mahler and Marcelo,” the Grand Rapids Symphony presented an evening of musical contrasts.

Last night, Grand Rapids community members crowded into an apartment-turned-venue off South Division Avenue to see “The Vagina Monologues.”

David Shannon’s work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Time and Rolling Stone, but he found a true calling by going back to his childhood roots.

In an age of effortless access to music of all kinds, exploring the commonalities between seemingly disparate music styles is one way to make sense of it all. Violinist Gene Hahn and cellist Jeremy Crosmer are doing just that, deconstructing the stigmas associated with different genres through their acoustic string group, ESME.