Metro Pulse/Backstage/The Ritz

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What:
The Ritz

When:
Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m., July 12-14, 19-21.

Where:
Theatre Central

Cost:
$5-10. Call 936-2291 for more information.

Theatre Central provides madcap wackiness for all sexual orientations

by Paige M. Travis

Most theater companies in Knoxville plan their seasons for variety. A little comedy here, some drama there, with a bit of avant garde or international imports thrown in for good measure. The mix makes for some surprises and keeps audiences from getting jaded. But even if variety is the spice of life, it's good to know where you can go to get what you want when the mood strikes. It's why we eat at the same restaurants again and again: they never (or rarely) mess up your favorite dish. And when we figuratively dine on drama at Theatre Central, the house special is wackiness served straight up.

Knee-slapping jokes, quick one-liners and physical humor are director Mark Moffett's forte. It's been done with a few actors, but a large cast makes the action even more madcap. The result in its most successful incarnation is The Ritz, the theater's most energetic production in recent memory.

The setting for Terrence McNally's play—a gay bath house in New York City—is ripe for humor. The whole concept of a gay bath house was foreign to me, and may be to you, but it seems to be like a hostel with individual rooms and other areas for congregation, like a steam room, a bar and a dance club all within the building. This is what the Village People were singing about in "YMCA."

One rainy night, the Ritz is filled to capacity with men looking for some action. Claude (Ed White) is a regular on the prowl for heftier men. Chris (Kenny King) is a friendly queen checking out the scene. And Sheldon (John Large) is a soft-spoken guy who favors the cowboy look. Into this group enters Gaetano "Guy" Proclo (Martin Stone Hennessee), a simple man from Cleveland who's on the run from his brother-in-law who wants to kill him.

Imagining that no one would look for a straight guy from Cleveland in a gay bath house, he checks into the Ritz to hunker down and plan his next move. But laying low in a gay bath house is about as likely as tossing your scarf in a gay club and not hitting a Barbra Strei-sand fan. Soon, Claude is tempting Guy into a rendezvous with fattening treats, the resident performer Googie Gomez (Margy Ragsdale) thinks he's a producer there to discover her, and a private detective (Lee McCord) is tracking him through the winding hallways.

Each character, gay or not, is about as out-there as you can get. White finds a balance between creepy and adorable in his portrayal of Claude, the "chubby-chaser" who lures his conquests with a rendition of "Jelly Roll" and some hip-twisting moves that are intended to be libidinous but turn out ridiculous. In a short red robe, King plays a great queen—not too lispy or flashy, but sassy enough. Hennessee's Guy isn't homophobic, but he's clearly uncomfortable with the idea of being approached by Claude or relaxing in the steam room. He's a little whiny, but he keeps it together, aided by Chris and some fortuitous misunderstandings. McCord's detective has a unfortunately high voice, which is supposed to make him seem more effeminate, but was intrusively grating for a while. This fact actually made the "Is that your real voice?" gags funnier. Ragsdale gets into her part as Hispanic club singer Googie Gomez. Her accent is part Rosie Perez, part Zsa Zsa Gabor, and you can hardly understand the crazy Spanglish she rattles out a mile a minute. Her body language is so aggressive with flying hands and hips shaking, she practically tackles anyone she's talking to.

These hijinks unfold under the eye of bath house operator Abe, whom David Stair captures perfectly with a dry New York attitude. There's nothing he hasn't already seen or heard, but he's sympathetic to Guy's problem. Although he only makes an occasional appearance, Large gets a round of applause for his talent-show performance of "I Lost My Mama at the Shoney's Breakfast Bar," a song whose lines are as funny as any in the play.

Because Theatre Central's stage is one room with exits on each side, some imagination is required to picture the maze-like design of the Ritz. But the space is utilized well as Guy is chased all over the hotel by Claude, Googie, the PI, and eventually his bloodthirsty brother-in-law Carmine Vespucci, played with Goodfella enthusiasm by Bill Householder. Angela Thornton, as Carmine's sister and Guy's wife, Vivian, matches Carmine's accent and attitude, and clearly wears the pants in that marriage.

With their focus on speed, some actors deliver their lines too hastily to allow enough time for the audience to react. But most jokes get laughs, and the play ends with a sense of pleasure. The cast delivers a lively comedy, the best item on the Theatre Central menu.