Too Many Girls, the Rodgers and Hart musical that brought Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball together, is the final selection for the 42nd Street Moon's Richard Rodgers centennial festival, running at San Francisco's Eureka Theatre Nov. 27-Dec. 15. The year-old celebration of Rodgers rarities has already included By Jupiter, Pipe Dream, A Connecticut Yankee and Peggy-Ann, which is currently playing through Nov. 17.
With a comic college-set plot, Too Many Girls takes not-so-innocent Conseula "Connie" Casey back to New Mexico after some scandalous adventures in Europe with British playwright Beverly Waverly. Her father, suspecting mischief, sends along four incognito professional football players to protect his little girl. Once they all arrive at the financially strapped institution, the boys decide to save the school by donating their salaries and playing for the Pottawatomie team. Meanwhile, the All-American star Clint Kelley falls in love with Connie. Will their passion outlast his subterfuge and the pressures of the big game?
Too Many Girls ran 249 performances with Arnaz and Marcy Westcott in the lead roles. The score includes "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (later featured in the Pal Joey film), "Heroes in the Fall" (which has lyrics by Rodgers), "'Cause We Got Cake," "Love Never Went to College," "She Could Shake the Maracas," "I Like to Recognize the Tune," "My Prince" and "Spic and Spanish."
Cynthia Myers stars as Connie with Joshua Powell as Clint. Also in the cast are Bill Fahrner (Waverly), Christian Cagigal, Tarek Khan, Matthew Hutchens, Amy Cole (Tallulah Lou), Lisa Peers, Taylor Jordan, Don Cima (Connie's father), Michael Cronin (Sheriff Andaluz), Elisa Pluhar, Sarah Kane Coogan and John Bridges.
A non-profit company devoted to the preservation and performance of classic American musical theatre, 42nd Street Moon derives its name from the early moniker for the bright lights of New York's 42nd Street. During its first 10 years the company has presented nearly 60 staged concerts of rarely performed musicals. For tickets, call (415) 255-8207. 42nd Street Moon is on the web at http://www.42ndStMoon.org.
— By Christine Ehren
