Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan and Johana Gracia Lara of The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. Photo by R.C. Staab
Kick off the 2024-25 off-off-Broadway theater season with the new musical-comedy, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, (www.ritzmusical.com) playing for a limited three-week run this September at the ATA Sargent Theatre in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Based on the early 1920s F. Scott Fitzgerald comic novella of the same name, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, is told through the eyes of young couple seeking to immigrate to the U.S. as they imagine Fitzgerald’s characters appearing before them on stage.
Johana Gracia Lara plays Mira, an immigrant hoping to join her partner in immigrating to the United States in the present and double as Kismine, the female lead of the Fitzgerald story.
Here's more about Johana and her life in the theater:
She grew up in the Bronx most of her life and attended Lehman College studying music and voice. She currently reside in Queens.
She got the teacher bug when she was in kindergarten and her drama class went to see Beauty and The Beast on Broadway. She says, "As a 5 year old, I loved being in musicals, but I had no idea it was a profession. That experience made me realize that I can pursue it as a career!"
In regard to her roles in the Ritz, she says, "I’d describe my characters as independent and dependent."
She found "the fast pace of the story" to be a challenge at first.
She says, "The easiest part of playing these two roles was understanding the energetic side of Kismine and the emotions behind Mira. The hardest part of both is quickly switching emotion and personality from one character to the next. Though challenging, it's great exercise and fun!"
In terms of her theatrical roles to date, her favorite roles to date were Hope Cladwell (Urinetown) and Belle (Beauty and the Beast).
She would love to play the part of Maria in West Side Story next.
From September 13-29, there are 16 performances of the Diamond as Big as the Ritz at the ATA Sargent Theatre on 54th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Dates and more information about the show are at ritzmusical.com. This is 90-minute, no intermission musical with catchy melodies. Take a minute to listen to this dynamite all-star Broadway cast sing, “Enough Already,” a song from the show that was nominated in England for Best New Song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=706ExF-sdJQ).
Veteran director and Broadway actor John Hickok directs a cast of five that includes Johana, Ethan Yaheen--Moy Chan, Megan Lomax, Bobby Barksdale and Richard Rowan. The Diamond as Big as The Ritz features music and lyrics by Seth Bisen-Hersh and book and additional lyrics by R.C. Staab.
Tickets are only $29 with the code EARLYBIRD at https://tinyurl.com/SeeRitz. For more information, check out ritzmusical.com.
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