Christopher Barksdale and Paul Molnar in The Ritz (Don Ipock)
A theatre legend and an LGBTQ+ pioneer, Terrence McNally put gay protagonists at the center of his plays as early as the 1960s. (Something plenty of critics and audiences had trouble wrapping their heads around.) The Ritz, which debuted in 1975, is a joyful celebration of gay sexuality in post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS pandemic New York. As a sort of time capsule, The Ritz, now playing at Unicorn Theatre, is a delight to watch. Unfortunately, as a play, there’s just not enough there to hold an audience’s interest for two-plus hours.
As is standard with farces, The Ritz is light on plot. A middle-aged, staunchly heterosexual man, Gaetano Proclo (Paul Molnar), is forced to go on the run from his mobster in-laws and ends up hiding out in a gay bathhouse. Over the course of one zany evening, he dodges his wife’s ruthless brother, a private detective, and a parade of The Ritz’s regulars. He also makes a few friends and allies during his misadventures.
Director Abe Reybold and a talented cast certainly give this show their all. Reybold clearly has a knack for comedy and keeps the chaos moving at the speed necessary to keep a farce rolling. The whole cast radiates joy, but there are a few standouts, including Arthur Phog Clifford as Chris, a sort of mother hen figure in the bathhouse with an insatiable hedonistic appetite. Franci Talamantez-Witte is wonderful as the so-bad-she’s-fantastic cabaret singer Googie Gomez. And while the character of Claude (a “chubby chaser” obsessed with Proclo) rarely gets to transcend his role as a running fatphobia gag, the exceptionally charming Christopher Barksdale does the absolute most with what he’s given.
The design team also seemed to have a blast with their tasks. Jeremy Smith’s set is packed with erotic iconography and innuendo. There’s a great playfulness to Brandon R McWilliams’ costumes, from Proclo’s terrible disguise to The Ritz’s resident go-go boys, to the leather chaps adorning Unicorn’s Artistic Director Ernie Nolan (playing Abe).
While there’s not enough substance to carry a full play, the parts of The Ritz that are fun are very fun. And for many audiences, a few good laughs will be plenty to enjoy.
“The Ritz” runs through August 30 at Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St. For more information, visit unicorntheatre.org.
