A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Rio Rita

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  3w, 5m

Book by Guy Bolton & Fred Thompson
Music by Harry Tierney
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy

One of Florenz Ziegfeld’s most successful and spectacular
shows, Rio Rita is set in Texas and Mexico along the Rio Grande.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Rio Rita

Details

Summary
Rio Rita, one of Florenz Ziegfeld’s most successful and spectacular shows, is set in Texas and Mexico along the Rio Grande. The Texas Rangers are hunting a notorious bandit known only as the Kinkajou. The Rangers are lead by the handsome Captain Jim Stewart, who is in love with Rita Ferguson, an Irish-American-Mexican girl known as Rio Rita, who sings in the local hotel after being displaced from her family ranch along with her brother Roberto. The regional Mexican Governor, General Esteban, also loves Rita and convinces her that Jim courts her only because he believes that the man they are looking for is her brother. Only when Jim arrests Esteban as the real villain can he and Rita hope for happiness.
History
Rio Rita opened on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 02, 1927, starring Ethelind Terry and Bert Wheeler leading a cast of 132 performers. The show later transferred to the Lyric Theatre and the Majestic Theatre, playing a total of 494 performances.
  • Time Period 1920s
  • Setting Mexico and Texas. 1927.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Music

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Easy
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Authors

Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy

JOSEPH MCCARTHY born in 1885, was a charter member of ASCAP. He wrote over 500 songs and eleven plays and reviews. He wrote the film scores for his Rio Rita and for several other motion pictures, including Song of the Big Trail, High Society and a second version of Irene. Mr ...

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Guy Bolton

Guy Bolton

Guy Bolton (1884-1979) was born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, on November 23, 1884. Bolton famously collaborated with Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse on a series of buoyant musicals for the 299-seat Princess Theatre, including Have A Heart; Oh, Boy!; Leave It To Jane; ...

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Author

Fred Thompson

Harry  Tierney

Harry Tierney

HARRY TIERNEY was already an established composer before his first Broadway show, Irene. He wrote the scores for Keep Smiling and Not Likely later in London. When he returned to the States, he wrote songs for the Ziegfeld Follies, Royal Vagabond and Follow Me, among others. T ...

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