Of Thee I Sing

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Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind

Conducted by James Bagwell
Directed and choreographed by Will Pomerantz

Louisa Thompson, set designer
Carol Bailey, costume designer
Justin Townsend, lighting designer

Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, or just plain sick of Beltway bozos, this 1931 classic should lighten up your election year. Featuring a swinging, jazzy score by George Gershwin, lyrics by his brother Ira, and a tartly satirical book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind (the team responsible for the Marx Brothers’ The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, and A Night at the Opera), Of Thee I Sing was a smash hit, running for 441 performances on Broadway. It went on to win the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was later published as a book (both firsts for a musical).

“Love Is Sweeping the Country” in this delirious lampoon of campaign shenanigans centered on the romantic entanglements of bachelor candidate John P. Wintergreen. In search of a hook to snare voters, Wintergreen’s handlers decide to find him a bride through a beauty contest. Alas, the presidential hopeful falls for secretary Mary Turner and her mouthwatering corn muffins. Meanwhile, a spurned beauty queen seeks justice with help from the French. Oh, then there’s the mortified, nearly invisible Vice President Alexander Throttlebottom . . . but no one remembers this ineffectual man or his silly name. Ah, those were innocent times.
 
Although the beloved comedy hasn’t been on Broadway since Harry S. Truman was in office, director/choreographer Will Pomerantz will stage a full production at the Fisher Center. For SummerScape audiences it will be a timely and hilarious look at a seminal work in the evolution of the modern Broadway musical. So vote your funny bones and tapping toes, and remember: vote often!

THEATER TWO
August 1, 6, 7 at 8 pm
August 2, 9, 10 at 3 pm
August 3 at 7 pm
August 6 at 2 pm
August 8 at 5 pm
Tickets: $45 (General Admission)

OPERA TALK
THEATER TWO
August 2 at 1 pm
Free and open to the public

Opera Talks are presented in memory of Sylvia Redlick Green.
Image: Cover, sheet music for Of Thee I Sing, 1931, New World Music
Corporation, N.Y.