The interior of The Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth.
The Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth is one of the oldest arts venues in New Jersey. Built on the site of the 1865 Drake Opera House, it opened under its current name in the 1920s, with an art deco look that remains to this day.
“We didn’t want to change that charisma because then it becomes boring,” says real estate broker George Castro, who bought the 2,772-capacity theater in 1994 and reopened it, after making major renovations. “You want to maintain and preserve that type of style.”
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Jay Wheeler performs at The Ritz Theatre.
Legendary artists such as Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash and Maya Angelou, as well as Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, have performed there. Now, catering to its local audience in Elizabeth (which has a large Hispanic population) and points beyond — Castro estimates that about 40 percent of the theater’s visitors come from other cities — many of the shows are in Spanish. The Colombian comedy podcast “Perros Criollos” will have a show there on Aug. 2, for instance, and Dread Mar I, an Argentine artist specializing in reggae en Español, is booked for Aug. 30.
Major media outlets like HBO, Netflix, Fox and CBS have filmed movies and videos there. Films that have shot scenes there include “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic, starring Timothée Chalamet, that is due out in December.
During the Copa América soccer tournament, earlier this summer, the Ritz held a free showing of the soccer game for the community to enjoy. And it hosted a festival to celebrate Colombian Independence Day, on July 18. Elizabeth councilwoman Patricia Perkins arranged to have a Juneteenth celebration for the community with free admission on June 19.
“When the community reaches out to us, we always step up to the plate,” says Castro, who has lived in Elizabeth since 1985.
With such close proximity to New York, performers often play in the city and then come to the Ritz to reach the Jersey crowd.
“They have a performer on Friday performing at The United Palace (in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan) and then on Saturday, the same performer performs at the Ritz Theatre — or vice versa,” says Castro. “We have found this type of formula to be successful.”
George Castro at The Ritz Theatre.
An example of this booking strategy can be seen with Mexican singer Ana Bárbara, who is scheduled to perform at The Ritz on Oct. 4, and The United Palace on Oct. 5.
According to Castro, people often arrive hours before a show to enjoy Elizabeth by visiting the nearby restaurant district on Morris Avenue, also known to locals as The Colombia District, where classic dishes from Castro’s original home country can be found.
Castro sums up his own 30-year history with the theater by saying, “I saw an opportunity and what it could provide for the community, so I took it.”
Upcoming shows at The Ritz Theatre include “Perros Criollos,” Aug. 2; AMBUSA Experience, Aug. 3; Thomas Anders, Aug. 25; Dread Mar I, Aug. 30; La India Yuridia, Sept. 8; “The Magic of Motown,” Sept. 13; Cultura Profética, Sept. 14; Suso, Sept. 21; Myriam Hernández, Sept. 28; “Wild Disco ’90s,” Sept. 29; and Ana Bárbara, Oct. 4.
For more information, visit ritztheatre.com.
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