The Harvard Crimson Troupe and The Penn Quaker Players, the two women's basketball companies vying for the Ivy League's traditional Cinderella role in March's "Big Dance," will meet tonight at Lavietes Pavilion. Curtain rises at 6 p.m.

The Off-JFK production of The Princeton Tiger Company and The Crimson Troupe will go up tomorrow night on the same stage.

Penn (14-5, 5-0 Ivy), led by star Diana Caramanico, a 6'2 junior forward who is currently No. 2 in the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game, has never made it onto the grand stage. A diligent understudy in senior guard Mandy West (17.7 ppg) waits in the wings when Caramanico falters.

The Quaker Players now stand their best chance in school history to make it past the opening auditions of the Ivy season, which they have never done.

Harvard (12-5, 5-0), meanwhile, features an ensemble cast of characters, where any one player can become the star on any given night under the direction of Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith.

Sophomore point guard Jenn Monti averages 8.6 assists per game, good for eighth in the nation. Captain Laela Sturdy shoots 52.1 percent from behind the arc, making her third in the country. And junior center Melissa Johnson averages 11.6 rebounds per game--0.1 behind Caramanico--good for eighth in the country.

The Crimson Troupe could be without one of its major players. Sophomore forward Katie Gates is questionable for the opening act on Friday. Freshman Bree Kelley has filled in for Gates in the past and could be called upon again.

"I just talked to my doctor and he said 'maybe,'" Gates said. " I'm not sure if Kathy is going to let me play. I would say probably no."

Crimson Troupe newcomers Kate Ides and Sarah Johnson will be onstage, however, after injuries last month took them out of commission for a few performances.

"We can go all 15 players deep," said junior guard Lisa Kowal. "It's just a question of who's healthy and who's tired."

Penn's leading five should see considerable stage time, but Melissa Johnson doesn't want to downplay the importance of The Quaker Players' supporting cast.

"The rest of the players on their team aren't bad," Johnson said. "They have a lot of solid supporting players."

Caramanico, however, easily has the lead role. The five-time Ivy League Player of the Week already this season scored 38 points in a Tony-caliber performance last weekend against Yale. The next night, she gave an encore performance against Brown to the tune of 20 points and eight steals.

Harvard will pay strong attention to the Penn lead, trying different strategies to upstage Caramanico.

"I think that we'll probably be mixing it up," Johnson said. "I think that Kathy will have me focusing definitely on her. There is a strong chance that we will mix it up."

West, the supporting actress, won't be overlooked, though. She combined for 35 points last weekend as The Quaker Players got a curtain call for the sixth straight show, a Penn record. The Crimson Troupe has also brought down the house in six straight performances.

The star performances can help drive a particular show, but sometimes it all comes down to the nitty-gritty details of a particular scene.

"If they don't do the little things, we can pick them apart," Kowal said, acknowledging that the reverse can happen in Penn's favor.

Whether Friday's show is a hit or a bomb, Harvard will have to get ready for Saturday's production with Princeton (4-15, 1-4).

Star 5'9 senior guard Maggie Langlas, no stranger to the stage, brings her 10.5 ppg and a small supporting cast for a contest against the bigger and deeper Crimson Troupe.

Princeton has found misfortune this year, languishing near the bottom of the Ivy theatre world after nearly being showered with laurels after being runner-up to The Dartmouth Ensemble last year.

But Harvard will not be overlooking Princeton.

"That would be disrespecting the rest of the league," Johnson said. "There is a lot of parity in this league. You cannot take anyone likely."

And while anything can happen on the Big Night, one thing is for sure.

One of the teams playing will break a leg.