The Ritz (play)

"The Ritz" is a play by Terrence McNally. Actress Rita Moreno won a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Broadway production, which she and many others of the original cast reprised in a 1976 film version directed by Richard Lester.

Plot

. Further complications arise when Gaetano's wife Vivian tracks him down and jumps to all the wrong conclusions about his sexual preferences.

1975 Broadway production

After ten previews, the Broadway production, directed by Robert Drivas, opened on January 20, 1975 at the Longacre Theatre, where it ran for 398 performances. The cast included Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, F. Murray Abraham, Stephen Collins, and George Dzundza.

Moreno won the Tony and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance, and the play received a Drama Desk nomination as Outstanding New American Play.

1976 film version

Weston, Moreno, Stiller, and Abraham all reprised their stage roles in the 1976 film version directed by Richard Lester. Also in the cast were Kaye Ballard and Treat Williams. The film, Weston, and Moreno all received Golden Globe nominations in the comedy category.

Revivals: 1983, 2007

The first Broadway revival of "The Ritz" previewed for two weeks but then closed after a single regular performance at Xenon, formerly Henry Miller's Theatre, on May 2, 1983.

A new limited-run Broadway revival produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company and directed by Joe Mantello began previews on September 15, 2007 at Studio 54 and officially opening October 11. The cast included Rosie Perez as Googie Gomez, Kevin Chamberlin as Gaetano Proclo, as well as Seth Rudetsky and Ryan Idol as bathhouse patrons. The production closed on December 9, 2007.

See also

*Continental Baths

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/Show.asp?id=7540 "The Ritz" at Internet Broadway Database]
* http://www.bathhouseaddict.com/Bathhouses/TheRitzBathhouse.html