The cast of 'The Ritz'
(Credit: Joan Marcus )
First seen on Broadway in 1975, this well-crafted farce follows a pudgy Midwestern bumpkin, Gaetano "Guy" Proclo (Kevin Chamberlin), who seeks refuge in a gay bathhouse when a hit is taken out on him by his mobster brother-in-law. The current revival, directed by Joe Mantello (“Wicked,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Assasins”), does justice to the era of disco, afros and liberated sexual expression, but misses the mark in terms of executing the farce so adeptly nailed by McNally on the page. Yes, there are many doors that open and close (on a three-tiered set designed by Scott Pask), gag disguises, and pratfalls, but it never fully takes flight as a real farce, as it lacks the necessary momentum and wackiness that only Perez grasps.
In spite of the mildly underwhelming pace at which the show moves, there are vibrant kernels within. Second to Perez's portrayal of Googie Gomez, the talentless cabaret singer desperately seeking stardom (though she’ll take a national tour of “Oklahoma!”), is Brooks Ashmankas, who is nuanced and delightful as Chris, the kimono-clad sex-addict who can't get laid. He's graceful as a ballerina and punctuates each sharp joke with a complementary bevel, twirl or pas de bourrèe. Patrick Kerr also makes the most of his intermittent scenes as "chubby-chaser" Claude, always armed with chocolate bars in pursuit of the pudgy protagonist.
Though Chamberlin elicits many genuine chuckles when he’s mistaken for a Broadway producer and becomes the object of Perez's sexual affection, his generally sad-sack demeanor prevents him from ever becoming the leading man we wish he could be.
While this production of “The Ritz” might elicit mixed responses, most will attest it is Perez that makes viewers glad they came. She manages to always get her point across and gives a performance on par with the comical demands of the script. Sure, at times you can barely make out what she's saying, but that’s just par for the Rosie Perez course.
The Ritz is presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company and will run through Dec. 9, 2007, at Studio 54 (245 W. 54th St. between Broadway and Eighth Ave.) Buy tickets online.
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