{"id":951,"date":"2019-07-17T18:19:03","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/toomarvelous\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:19:03","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:19:03","slug":"toomarvelous","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/toomarvelous\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 WCSU to host a night that is ‘Too Marvelous’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 From \u201cMoon River\u201d to \u201cSkylark,\u201d the songs may be familiar, but the man behind them is a stranger to many \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n

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At 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013<\/strong>, the songs of Johnny Mercer<\/a> will come to Western Connecticut State University<\/a> as former Broadway performer and WCSU adjunct lecturer Don Stitt uncovers the man behind the music. Mercer\u2019s popular hits include \u201cThat Old Black Magic,\u201d \u201cOne for My Baby\u201d and \u201cJeepers Creepers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cToo Marvelous: The Songs of Johnny Mercer\u201d will be held in Alumni Hall on the university\u2019s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The event is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n

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Stitt, who performed on Broadway in the original cast of \u201cBuddy: The Buddy Holly Story<\/a>,\u201d will perform 42 songs accompanied by pianist Michael Lavine. Stitt said Mercer wrote the lyrics to more than 3,000 published songs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe probably has his name on more sheets of music \u2014 except for Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Irving Berlin \u2014 than anyone in the industry,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cEvery Big Band had a hit that was a Mercer song.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy script ties the songs together and tells how Mercer made his way so rapidly,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cThe history of Johnny Mercer has been whitewashed. I\u2019m telling more of the story and connecting the dots. In his early 20s, he became dominant in music publishing and radio and then became a sought-after vocalist. Mercer worked with big names starting in the 1930s and remained a major force in songwriting for more than 40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.
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