Atkinson Replaces Aaron in The Ritz; First Preview Canceled
By Andrew Gans
and Ernio Hernandez
14 Sep 2007
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Ashlie Atkinson joins The Ritz.
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben | The Broadway revival of Terrence McNally's The Ritz, which was scheduled to begin previews Sept. 14 at Studio 54, will now commence its run Sept. 15 at 2 PM. The production's official opening night remains Oct. 11.
The delay is due to a cast replacement: Ashlie Atkinson has taken over the role of Vivian Proclo, which was previously played by Caroline Aaron.
Ashlie Atkinson received a Theatre World Award for her performance in Off-Broadway's Fat Pig. The Ritz marks the actress' Broadway debut.
Theatregoers holding tickets for the Sept. 14 performance should contact the point of purchase for exchanges and refunds, according to a press statement.
Rosie Perez and Kevin Chamberlin star in the Roundabout Theatre Company's new Broadway staging of McNally's bathhouse-set farce, The Ritz, which features direction by Joe Mantello.
Billed as "an over-the-top comedy that takes place in a bathhouse in Manhattan," the farcical The Ritz concerns a man (Chamberlin) — hiding out from a mobster in the titular Turkish bath — who realizes he is actually in a gay bathhouse. He then takes on the guise of a big Broadway producer to avoid being discovered.
Brooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, The Producers) is also featured in a cast that includes Caroline Aaron, Patrick Kerr, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Terrence Riordan, Seth Rudetsky, Adam Sietz, David Turner, Lenny Venito, Ryan Idol, Teddy Coluca, Billy Magnussen, Mark Leydorf, Matthew Montelongo, Angela Pietropinto, Jeffrey Evan Thomas, Josh Breckenridge, Justin Clynes, Andrew Cooksey, Lukas Hassel, Nick Mayo and Dillon Porter.
Christopher Gattelli choreographs with Rudetsky handling musical direction. The design team includes Scott Pask (sets), William Ivey Long (costumes), Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher (lights) and Tony Meola (sound).
The Ritz first played Broadway in 1975 in a production directed by Robert Drivas. F. Murray Abraham, Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller and Rita Moreno starred — the latter winning a Tony Award for her turn as Googie Gomez. The comedy was adapted for the 1976 film with the same stars.
Tickets to The Ritz at Studio 54, 254 West 54 Street, are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212) 719-1300 or online at roundabouttheatre.org.
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