''Rio Rita'' is a 1927 stage

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

with a book by Guy Bolton and

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Tennessee fr ...

, music by Harry Tierney, lyrics by

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

, and produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...

. This musical united Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey as a comedy team and made them famous. It premiered on Broadway on February 2, 1927, at the new Ziegfeld Theatre and, after moving to the Lyric Theatre and Majestic Theatre, closed on April 7, 1928 after 494 performances, a very long run for its time. In Sydney, Gladys Moncrieff appeared in a successful production at the St James Theatre. The musical premiered in London's

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

on April 3, 1930, at the then newly opened Prince Edward Theatre. The musical was made into a film in 1929, '' Rio Rita'', starring

Bebe Daniels Phyllis Virginia "Bebe" Daniels (January 14, 1901 – March 16, 1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent film era as a child actress, became a star in musicals suc ...

and John Boles along with the team of Wheeler & Woolsey. Based on the success of this film, Wheeler & Woolsey were also given contracts to star in a series of comedies. Another film based on the musical was made in 1942.

Background

''Rio Rita'' may be said to be one of the last, great, "light musical comedies" or "Follies-based" type of musical. With the introduction of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the pe ...

'', later in 1927—as well as the subsequent introduction of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's musicals that year and through the early 1930s—the American musical became much more a dramatically cohesive "musical play". This form reached its maturity in the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...

productions, beginning with ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells ...

'' and culminating with ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

''.

Synopsis

The captain of the Texas Rangers, Jim Stewart, is in San Lucar Mexico on the Rio Grande, in disguise in order to catch the notorious bandit Kinkajou. While there, he falls in love with Rita Ferguson, an Irish-American-Mexican girl who sings in the local hotel after being displaced, along with her brother, from her family ranch. General Esteban, the Governor of the San Lucar District, also loves Rita and hates all gringos. He hatches a plot to set Jim and Rita at odds by making Rita doubt both her own brother, who may be the Kinkajou, and Jim, who may be spying on her brother through her. Amid all of this intrigue, Chick Bean, a soap salesman, and Dolly, an American cabaret girl, arrive in San Lucar and get married. Unbeknownst to Dolly, Chick also went to Mexico to obtain a quick divorce from his unfaithful first wife, Katie. But then hours after Chick and Dolly are wed, Ed Lovett, a lawyer of dubious reputation, informs Chick that his divorce is not recognized by the U.S. Government. Complications ensue.

Original Broadway cast

*Rita Ferguson – Ethelind Terry *Captain Jim Stewart – J. Harold Murray *Ed Lovett – Robert Woolsey *Chick Bean – Bert Wheeler *General Esteban – Vincent Serrano *Dolly Bean – Ada-May *Roberto Ferguson – Walter Petrie *Carmen – Helen C. Clive *Katie Bean –

Noel Francis Noel Francis (born Noel Frances Sweeney, August 31, 1906 – October 30, 1959) was an American actress of the stage and screen during the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Texas, she began her acting career on the Broadway stage in the mid-1920s, befor ...

*Montezuma's Daughter – Katherine Burke *Reporter – Al Clair *Sergeant Wilkins – Donald Douglas

Songs

Act I *Overture *Opening chorus ("The world loves a lover, they say") *The Best little lover in Town - Lovett, chorus of girls *Sweetheart - Rita, chorus of girls *River Song ("Down By the River of My Dreams") - Rita *Eight Little Gringos - gringo girls *Are You There? - Dolly, Chick *Rio Rita - Rita, Jim *Rangers' chorus - rangers *March of the rangers - Jim, rangers *Spanish Shawl ("Beneath the Silken Shawl") - Carmen, serenaders *The Kinkajou - chorus *You're Always In My Arms" - Rita *If You're in Love, you'll Waltz - Rita, Jim *Moonlight ballet *Out on the Loose - Chick, girls *Finale, Act 1 Act II *Opening dance *Yo Ho and a Bottle of Rum - girls *The Black and White Ballet - girls *Come, take a Trip - chorus *I can Speak Espagnol - Dolly, Lovett *Roses - Jim, Rita *Following the Sun Around - Jim *You're Always in My Arms (reprise) - Rita *The Best Little Lover in Town (reprise) - Lovett *Rio Rita (reprise) - Jim *Incidental music *Following the Sun around (reprise) - katie *Finale, Act 2 - ensemble

Notes

It was this musical that

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

was attending when he got news from the Weather Bureau that clear skies were opening over the Atlantic Ocean. Lindbergh then hurried to his hotel room, but could not sleep, and then to the Roosevelt airfield to take off on his famous flight to Paris in the '' Spirit of St. Louis''.

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
plot, song list, and characters
broadwayworld.com listing, London
{{Authority control Broadway musicals 1927 musicals Musicals by Fred Thompson (writer)