Review-Palm Canyon Theatre’s The Ritz Is Wild, Wacky, and Pure 1970s Chaos-Mann on the Aisle

If classic farce is your thing — slamming doors, mistaken identities, ridiculous misunderstandings, and characters operating at full volume — then The Ritz at Palm Canyon Theatre is probably right up your alley. Terrence McNally’s comedy throws audiences into the middle of a chaotic 1970s New York gay bathhouse, where a straight businessman named Gaetano hides out after getting tangled up with the mob. From there, everything escalates into pure madness.

Palm Canyon Theatre fully leans into the insanity, and honestly, that’s exactly the right move. Director David Beris keeps the energy broad, loud, and unapologetically outrageous. The production embraces the play’s identity as a time capsule from another era — stereotypes, social attitudes, and all. Whether that feels dated or simply reflective of the period will probably depend on the audience member, but the show never hides what it is.

The cast clearly understands the assignment. C. James Slaybaugh steals scenes as Michael Brick, a hilariously macho character cursed with a helium-high voice that becomes funnier every time he speaks. Larry Martin gets huge laughs as Claude Perkins, whose enthusiasm for chasing “big boys” reaches cartoon-level absurdity in the best possible way. Christine Tringali Nunes brings sharp comic frustration to Vivian, the lead’s exhausted wife, while Ron Coronado is consistently funny as bathhouse regular Chris.

Doonald Kelly anchors the madness nicely as Gaetano, playing him with a kind of bewildered innocence while chaos explodes around him. And Olga Morales absolutely lands the biggest laugh of the night as “talent” performer Googie Gomez, whose unforgettable musical number nearly stops the show cold.

The first act could use a little tighter pacing, but once the second act kicks in, the show finds its rhythm and races to the finish. Bottom line: The Ritz is messy, loud, silly, dated, and very funny — and if you’re willing to jump into its over-the-top 1970s world, you’ll probably have a blast.