By Seth Rudetsky
27 Nov 2007

Coincidentally, one of the original Ritz cast members (who played a bathhouse patron) came to the show and was chatting with me as I collected for BC/EFA. He said that Rita Moreno would kick her shoe into the actual audience, yet it was never stolen. He finally asked her how she always got it back, and she told him that she wrote something on the inside of the shoe: "There is a seven-foot tall Puerto Rican who will attack you as you exit if you don't return this shoe."

He was shocked to be seeing a show in Studio 54 because he used to come here when it was the famous disco. He said that in those days the bathroom had all these colognes you could apply, and it was useful when people were using the stalls to take drugs. If someone was hogging the stall too long, you'd take one of the colognes and start spraying over the top of the stall so they'd flee. I guess you could tell that someone was a heavy drug user if they reeked of Halston Z-14.

	Rosie Perez in "crazy half pantsuit-half dress" in The Ritz.

Back to Googie's number. Right near the end, there's an amazing quick change, where Rosie disappears behind a curtain and goes from a turquoise pantsuit to a purple sassy dress in literally four seconds. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work Tuesday night, and she wound up in half the dress and half the pantsuit. All of us patrons watch the show from the box seats, and it was impossible to keep a straight face. She looked like a moth that hadn't quite come out its cocoon. (See photos.)

Back to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. I generally dislike the Broadway performances because I hate watching lip-synching. The whole point of Broadway is the fact that it's live, so it's always a downer to me to watch a song that I like turned into an Ashlee Simpson concert. And, can we also discuss commercialism under the guise of children's entertainment? "Look! There's a giant balloon of Snoopy (OK, that makes sense)… And the Hamburgler (hmm…pushing it)… And North Fork Bank (what the . . . ?).

Here's a question: What do M&Ms mean to you? Broadway! They do? For some reason, Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele stood on top of an M&M float and sang "Give My Regards to Broadway." I ran into Jonathan on 49th Street Wednesday night, and he told me that it was gonna be a sort of rock version of the song. I guess by "rock version," he meant a version that retained the lyrics of the song but dispensed with that pesky melody/rhythm and any original chord changes. However, I will say that they both sounded amazing! There was a fabulous high note that I had to rewind twice! And I loved Xanadu. Could Kerry Butler or Cheyenne Jackson possible sound/look any better? Short answer: no.

We ended the week with a fabulous birthday party for Kevin Chamberlin where Rosie Perez's friend baked a delicious tres leches cake. The translation of "tres leches" is "Do not eat this if you have to wear a revealing towel eight times a week."

OK, I have a busy night. I'm seeing Franc D'Ambrosio at Symphony Space at 7:30 PM and then Vicki Clark at 9:30. Who says I keep myself busy so I don't have to feel my feelings? Short Answer: My therapist.

*

(Seth Rudetsky is the host of "Seth's Big Fat Broadway" on SIRIUS Satellite Radio and the author of "The Q Guide to Broadway." He has played piano in the orchestras of 15 Broadway musicals, and he can be contacted by visiting www.sethsbroadwaychatterbox.com. His first novel is titled "Broadway Nights.")

Kevin Chamberlin cuts his "tres leches" cake backstage at The Ritz.

View article on single page

Previous Page   1 | 2 Next Page