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Gaetano Proclo is hiding
out from his Mafia-linked brother-in-law. And he's hiding at The Ritz.
But The Ritz is not what he thinks it is. This is no swanky New
York hotel, no indeed. It happens to be a seedy gay bath house with the
world's most eclectic collection of clients. There's Abby, the owner, a
cigar chomping dame with a heart of brass. There's "Get Away From Me Claude,"
the donut packing chubby chaser. There's Chris, looking for love in the
"wrongest" place of all. There's Michael, the super buff detective with
the voice of a ten year old girl. There's a guy who wears balloons and
sings opera, and a dude in chaps. And there's Tiger and Duff, the hot young
studs who keep the Ritz afloat. And best of all, there is Googie Gomez,
a talentless show-biz wannabe who entertains at the Ritz, hoping one night
a big Broadway Producer will come by and discover her.
 These
are the people who inhabit The Ritz, Terrence McNally's award winning
comedy and hit film, brought to the stage as a special summer treat by
Off The Wall Theatre. This is a farce unlike any other. Using
all the tools of classic face, McNally fashions a wild comedy with heart,
soul, and disco to boot. And when Carmine Vespucci comes a-gunnin' for
his brother-in-law and Gaetano's wife loses her fur coat in the bath house
while trying to warn her husband, pandaemonium breaks out. Pandaemonium
of riotous laughter that is.
 This
show has everything: rousing Broadway show tunes; cute chorus boys who
can't dance; curvaceous guys and girls in bath towels; and laugh upon laugh
upon laugh. Lawrence Lukasavage,
long time Off the Wall Favorite, played Gaetano Proclo the simple garbage
man with the heart of gold, caught in a sexual Dante's Inferno. Barbara
Weber played his faithful, adoring wife. Kristin Pagenkopf played
Googie Gomez, the songbird with the sound of "nails on the blackboard."
Milwaukee's talented Karl Miller
played Chris, the good hearted bath house slut. Kutis Witzlsteiner
played "Get Away From Me Claude," the manic chubby chaser. The ever popular
Jeremy
Welter played Michael Bick, a Private Dick on the prowl. James Feeley
played the mafia boss, Carmine, out to "get" Proclo. Newcomers to Off the
Wall Theatre Zay Turner and Luke Waalazak played Tiger and
Duff the bathhouse attendants who "just want everyone to be happy." The
cast also included, Tom Welcenbach, Roger Uscila, Michael
Davis, Joey Skattabo, Richard Dickerson,and Rick Anderson,
as the patrons of the bath house, and Sandy Lewis as "Condom Catey."
 Only
Dale
Gutzman and Off The Wall Theatre would bring you
a summer treat this "outrageously funny!" Technical director David
Roper emersed audience members in a crummy New York bath
house.
As a special added attraction,
two of Milwaukee's most beloved Drag Performers, Miss Karen Valentine
and Miss Maple Veneer performed as part of the show.
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