Richard Rowan flanked by Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan and Johana Gracia Lara. 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.
Richard Rowan plays dual roles, jumping back and forth in time, acting as the family patriarch of the Fitzgerald story and as an exasperated American immigration official.
Here's more about Richard and his life in the theater:
Richard grew up in Boulder, Colorado and attended Northwestern University in the Chicago suburbs.
He lives in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan.
When to describe the character of Braddock Washington, he says, "Cruelty doesn’t exist where self preservation is involved.”
When asked what surprised about the show, he says, "How framing the Fitzgerald novella with the contemporary immigration story brings a new slant to the piece."
In terms of the roles he plays, he says, the easiest part for him as been the energy of a talented, giving cast to bounce off of.
In terms of the hardest aspect of the experience, he says, "Putting it up so quickly. I should be used to this by now, but it’s always a challenge."
Among his favorite roles to date, he particularly enjoyed playing Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Osgood in Sugar, Fredrik in A Little Night Music and Smudge in Forever Plaid. And of course, his favorite role is always "the next one."
He would love to play Georges in La Cage Aux Folles.
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 Ethan, Johana Gracia Lara, 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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