Review of "The Ritz"

And it seems that the acoustics in Studio 54 aren't ideal for straight plays. Under the aegis of the Roundabout, the theater has served as a home for musicals in which the performers have been outfitted with body mics, so this is usually not an issue. But I found myself straining to hear throughout The Ritz – and I'm not just referring to Perez, whose nasal tone and Latina accent render a fair number of her lines incomprehensible. (Audibility wasn't a problem in the Roundabout's 2005 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, perhaps because the set was much more enclosed.)

Although it might have been even better in another theater, The Ritz is a winner. Most of all, this production reflects very well on the playwright. Theatergoers who know McNally only from Deuce – seen on Broadway earlier this season, and justly excoriated by the critics – or the other deeply flawed works he has produced over the past two decades must have wondered why he's esteemed in certain quarters. The Ritz revival is an important reminder of the days when he was at the top of his game.

P.S.: After the show, my theater companion remarked that The Ritz would make a great musical – and he's not the first person I've heard say so. What a terrific idea! McNally might want to think seriously about enlisting the super-talented David Yazbek, his collaborator on The Full Monty, and getting to work on this project right away.