A brilliant family under pressure, a maid who sees everything, a ruthless rival beneath the sea, and a television crew descending on Rialto Reef for Christmas.
Visual-development note: These portraits are the authors’ character references and recommendations. They are not final casting choices, costume designs, or production illustrations.
Click any portrait to see a larger version.
Tony Rizzo
Late 30s to early 40s • Scientist, engineer, keyboard player
Italian-American, charismatic, and brilliant, Tony wears his dark, wavy hair just below the collar and sports an unmistakable 1960s mustache. He wants Janet to be a conventional housewife because that is the world he understands, but he is never cruel about it and supports her as well as he knows how.
You would hardly know he is Italian until he begins spoofing his New York family. In many ways, he married his mother: Janet has more in common with Joan than either woman would ever admit.
Janet Rizzo
Late 30s to early 40s • Housewife, songwriter, lead guitarist
Tony’s very Brooklyn wife wears her dark hair in a conservative late-1960s style just past her shoulders. Fear has gradually made her a homebody, and the move beneath the sea gives every one of those fears a new place to flourish.
Her constant companion is Mammone—Italian for “mama’s boy”—and the two spend much of the show in matching life vests. When Janet transforms in Act Two, she lets her hair down, dresses more boldly, and begins reclaiming the capable woman she used to be.
Gary Rizzo
17 • Science obsessive, drummer, second lead vocalist
Handsome, with conservative late-1960s teen-idol hair, Gary has inherited Tony’s passion for science—and the crushing pressure of trying to live up to him. He loves music, but experiments matter more. He plays in the Rizzo Family Band largely because it makes Janet happy.
After overhearing Tony discuss a possible danger to the underwater house, Gary decides he can save the family and prove that he is no longer a confused kid. His determination drives the story toward the Act One crisis.
Kay Rizzo
16 • Lead vocalist, tambourine player, aspiring star
Kay dreams of becoming the next Annette Funicello. Singing is her life, her hair is a close second, and her devoted boyfriend sometimes seems to rank a distant third.
Her polish and ambition make her a natural in front of the television cameras when she is chosen to promote the Rialto Reef underwater community.
Charlotte Ottenstein
50s to 60s • Maid, narrator, and central character
Witty, sharp-tongued, and fiercely devoted, Charlotte has worked for the Rizzos for years and knows every family secret. She narrates the show, frequently speaks directly to the audience, and confidently mispronounces words without ever hearing the mistake.
She keeps the household functioning while quietly dreaming of finding a love of her own. She and Tony’s mother have refined mutual irritation into an art form.
Joan Rizzo
Early to mid 60s • Tony’s mother, widow, and one very tough cookie
Born in Italy but raised in Brooklyn, Joan later married and moved to New Jersey, and she carries every mile of that history with her. She is sharp, stubborn, and nobody’s fool—a real tough cookie with a dry wit and a talent for reducing Janet to steam with a single remark.
Widowed two years ago, Joan was more or less forced into living with Tony and Janet. Tony is her only child, and very much a mama’s boy, which only makes the household tensions more entertaining. Joan loves her grandchildren fiercely, thinks Gary can do no wrong, and spends much of the show at the kitchen table issuing judgments like they ought to be carved in stone.
J.R. Backus
60s to 70s • Rival underwater developer
The ruthless owner of a competing underwater city, Backus will do nearly anything to destroy Rialto Reef before it threatens his empire. He is completely bald and peers through enormously thick glasses that magnify his eyes.
Behind the comic exterior is a genuinely dangerous man who sees the Rizzos as useful pawns—or collateral damage.
Roddy
50s to 60s • Producer-director of the Dean Martin Christmas Special
Suave, single, and impeccably dressed, Roddy is responsible for keeping a major television production running in the least predictable location imaginable.
He also appears to have an eye for Charlotte—something she notices despite pretending otherwise.
Dean Martin
52 in 1969 • Singer, comedian, and television host
The famous entertainer arrives at Rialto Reef to headline his Christmas special from America’s most talked-about new address beneath the sea.
The current image is a temporary period-style stand-in and can be replaced with an approved photograph when the site is prepared for publication.
TV Show Announcer
40+ • The polished voice of network television
A classic announcer of the period: resonant, smiling, and capable of turning any disaster into an exciting television event.
He introduces the Christmas special, the celebrity guests, and the increasingly improbable happenings at Rialto Reef.
Carl Nedlik
17 • Kay’s boyfriend and determined football jock
Carl is head over heels in love with Kay and deeply unhappy that she is disappearing for an extended stay in an underwater house. He may not be especially bright, but he is loyal, stubborn, and unwilling to remain on shore.
Once Carl decides he belongs at Rialto Reef with Kay, very little can stop him from getting there.
Mammone
Janet’s tiny dog and constant companion
His name means “mama’s boy,” and he lives up to it. Mammone and Janet wear matching life vests through much of the show, making him both her emotional support and the family member best prepared for a leak.
Lance Boyle
J.R. Backus’ assistant • Professional brown-noser
What were his parents thinking? Lance is skinny as a rail, irritating to listen to, and completely devoted to getting ahead by attaching himself to anyone more powerful than he is.
He will flatter, scheme, carry out Backus’ dirtiest assignments, and sacrifice virtually anyone—including his dignity—if he thinks it will move him one step closer to the top.
Chorus & Doubles
Featured ensemble and multiple supporting roles
The ensemble creates the bustling world around Rialto Reef and the television special. Roles include TV personnel, cameramen, a script supervisor, a Rialto Reef maintenance man, and additional citizens, crew members, and underwater personalities.
Doubling will allow a compact company to populate a much larger comic world.
