Interview: At Home With Ricky Ritzel

It's a classic show business story: boy gets bit by the acting bug, boy moves to New York to be an actor, boy meets legendary piano player to the stars and finds a new life in the nightclub world. Lots of artists find their true path to success lies in a different direction than the one that, at first, they wanted. Ricky Ritzel's path has been one filled with music, acclaim, and many loving, supportive faces. The piano bar entertainer has made a home-away-from-home at Don't Tell Mama and has created one of the most popular recurring series the community has known, Ricky Ritzel's Broadway. Fresh off of yet another MAC Award win, Mr. Ritzel agreed to do a digital interview with me to let us all know how things are going at home these days.

Name: Ricky Ritzel
First Cabaret Show: Ricky & Mona, 1982, Palsson's
Most Recent Cabaret Show: Ricky Ritzel's Broadway Feb. 2020
Website or Social Media Handles: Ricky Ritzel on Facebook

Ricky, you are an institution in the world of cabaret - was that your dream, as a child?

No, I started piano very young but when the time came for college I chose Theatre rather than a conservatory, so when I moved to New York, I arrived as an actor.

What started you down the road to being the musical theater maven that you are today?

My parents took me to concerts, shows, and nightclubs ever since I can remember and after my first trip to New York in 1974, Broadway was it. I devoured every book, history and biography there was on theatre and the arts.

You are always at work at Don't Tell Mama, how are you handling being at home during the lockdown?

This is the best place to be quarantined. I have about 10,000 movies, countless TV shows and numerous Broadway shows on disc. Thousands of CDs. For example, my iPod classic has 29,000 songs on it. Oh, and a husband and a dog.

Are you relaxing and Netflixing or are you creating and learning?

A little of everything. I love British detective shows so I'm rewatching 'Pie In The Sky' and just starting 'Ozark' on Netflix. I try to never stop learning so I am on the computer a lot.

What was the impetus for the creation of Ricky Ritzel's Broadway?

I knew I didn't want to do another solo show at the time but I wanted to do something. Then I remembered a series of tv shows from the '70s on PBS hosted by Danny Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine Kaye, where she would present numbers from 3 or 4 legendary Broadway shows and give background and acerbic comments between songs. I thought, 'That's what I want to do. I'll accompany the performers and narrate between songs.' I talked it over with Aaron Morishita and Jay Rogers and in July 2015 we presented the debut of 'Ricky Ritzel's Broadway' with a cast of 5. We've done 9 or 10 each year since then. This year, well, we'll see.....

When a person has been in the business and done as many things as you have, is there anything new to learn?

There's always something to learn and I avidly try to learn something, anything constantly.

Along the way, what have been some of the most surprising things you've seen in a nightclub?

There've been a few personal experiences that stick out. One was I finished rehearsal in the showroom for a future show, was eating dinner in the room before getting ready for another show in that room and was interrupted by the Health Department closing the place down for non-payment of fees.

The other was playing for the drag diva, Miss Coco Peru doing a show out of drag where he relayed how a life-threatening accident inspired his career. He dove into the monologue about the horrible accident and half of the sold-out room either fainted or ran out the door. I remember Lina Koutrakos was the server and she yelled out to the piano bar, "They're dropping like flies in here!"

What does an average day look like for your family, in this new stage of our New York existence?

My husband is, thankfully, still working from home. Starting projects, finishing projects, cooking (which I love, I find it very relaxing)

Ricky, did you have a mentor while coming up through the ranks, or are you a self-made entertainer?

When I moved here, I was introduced to the great pianist Buddy Barnes. He had been Mabel Mercer's accompanist for a while. He became my mentor and dear friend. Boy, did he know the ins & outs of this business!

What's the first thing you intend to do when the quarantine is lifted?

Go to a restaurant and hug everyone that will let me.

All photos provided by Ricky Ritzel

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