Circle puts on McNally’s ‘Ritz’

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Elizabeth Morgan (from left), Dennis Schnell, (under the bed) Shawn Quinlan, Alexander Sharon In "The Ritz." Photo by Bob Knuth

Updated: February 7, 2012 9:39PM

Circle Theatre puts quirky characters, dance numbers, and an imaginative, yet sticky situation on stage when performing Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally’s “The Ritz.”

“It’s a fun, wacky farce,” said Bob Knuth, director and set designer for the production. “It’s a comedy that keeps moving. Some people will actually be intrigued by the fact that people are running around in bathrobes and towels, and the play itself is written so well.”

Set in the 1970s, the play begins at the deathbed of Carmine Vespucci’s father, when the dying man commands his son to kill Guy Proclo. Knowing “the hit” is on, Guy tells a cab driver to take him somewhere Carmine wouldn’t find him. That place is The Ritz, a gay bathhouse. There he’s pursued by two characters who think he’s a Broadway producer, and when a detective, Carmine and his wife finally locate Guy at The Ritz, insanity ensues.

Knuth, a Forest Park resident, says that although the play is a farce, it has a message of tolerance.

Bully bashing

“It’s a show about growing and about accepting people,” he said. “The show deals with this big bully trying to get this good guy who hasn’t done anything wrong but he’s been picked on because he’s different. That is so relevant today.”

Knuth said the play is a good fit for his troupe.

“Circle Theatre has been known as the little theater that could,” he explained. “We will do different dramas or we’ll do contemporary musicals that push the envelope a little bit just to keep it alive, keep it going, keep it rockin’. We’ll do anything that allows our artists to experience different types of theater. Also, it’s really for our audience as well.”

Knuth describes the show as one of the easiest he has directed because of the comedy and how well it flows. The challenge, he says, is working on a huge, two-level set and making sure the timing is right.

But it’s all great fun. “I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly,” said Knuth. “When the stress is on it’s easy to fall into a negative or unhappy place, but this show, I get to rehearsal and it pulls me right out. My cast is just doing such a great job.”

Among the cast of 20, Chicago’s Elizabeth Morgan is one of three women on stage, playing the crazy, yet endearing, bathhouse singer Googie Gomez.

Show biz dreams

“It’s written very funny and she’s got this crazy accent, but my other actors are really giving me tons of things to work with,” she said about Googie. “I’m still definitely finding her, but I’m kind of focusing on how ambitious she is and she’s always looking for her next part, she’s always looking for the next big thing.”

Oak Park’s Nyk Sutter plays two characters. In
the first act, he plays
cousin Hortencia, a gold-digging relative sitting by her uncle’s deathbed. In act two, he channels Marilyn Monroe to play the lively role of Sheldon Farenthold, who dreams of becoming a big Broadway star in his unique way.

When playing Sheldon, Sutter pulls a lot from his own life experience. Just like his character, he’s also had dreams of performing on Broadway. His performance is exaggerated, so he’s enjoying the chance to let loose and play this flamboyant character.

“It has been an amazing experience and one that I definitely wouldn’t trade for the world,” he said. “It’s just a fun show all around. To read the script and see the characterizations, it’s completely out there and even though it takes place in the ’70s, the show isn’t necessarily dated itself. The comedy is still there.”

What he most enjoys is the chance to have the audience leave laughing and talking about the show. “I want their sides to hurt from laughing so hard, their hands to hurt from applauding so hard because they loved it so much. And there’s even a surprise at the end that I think will definitely keep the audience wanting more.”