| Of Thee I Sing | |
|---|---|
 First edition 1932 | |
| Music | George Gershwin |
| Lyrics | Ira Gershwin |
| Book | George S. Kaufman Morrie Ryskind |
| Productions | 1931Broadway 1933Broadwayrevival 1952 Broadway revival 1972 Television 2006City CenterEncores! |
| Awards | Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1932) |
Of Thee I Sing is amusical with a score byGeorge Gershwin, lyrics byIra Gershwin and a book byGeorge S. Kaufman andMorrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform. When he falls in love with the sensible Mary Turner instead of Diana Devereaux, the beautiful pageant winner selected for him, he gets into political hot water.[1]
The originalBroadway production, directed by Kaufman, opened in 1931 and ran for 441 performances, gaining critical and box office success. It has been revived twice on Broadway and in concert stagings in the U.S. and in London. In 1932,Of Thee I Sing was the first musical to win thePulitzer Prize for Drama.[1]
The Gershwins andGeorge S. Kaufman had collaborated on the satirical 1927 musicalStrike up the Band, which played in Philadelphia. The show concerned a cheese manufacturer who sponsors a war against Switzerland because it will be named after him.[2]
Later that year, Kaufman and Ryskind conceived a new musical focusing onsatire about rival political parties battling over a new national anthem. The Gershwin brothers agreed to write the score, although they were scheduled to be in Hollywood writing songs for the filmDelicious. Kaufman and Ryskind soon realized that their concept did not provide sufficient plot for a musical. They crafted a libretto inspired by the timeless battle of political idealism with corruption and incompetency, creating the first American musical with a consistently satiric tone.[2][3] The writers and the cast were unsure of what the public's reception would be, prompting Kaufman's now-famous retort: "Satire is what closes on Saturday night."[3]
In the U.S. in the 1930s, a campaign parade is taking place to support "Wintergreen for President". John P. Wintergreen has been nominated for President and Alexander Throttlebottom has been nominated for Vice President, but he is of such little importance no one can remember who he is. Politicians meet in a hotel room to devise a campaign platform, and when they ask the chambermaid what she cares about, she first says "money," then "love" when pressed further. The men decide that Wintergreen's platform will be "love"; they'll have a pageant to select the most beautiful girl in the United States, and Wintergreen will fall in love and marry her.
The pageant begins inAtlantic City, New Jersey, and the contestants wonder, "Who Is the Lucky Girl to Be?" The photographers assure them that even if they do not win, they will surely be loved ("The Dimple on My Knee"). Wintergreen is getting nervous about marrying a girl he doesn't know. While the girls are at the final judging, he confides in Mary Turner, the sensible young woman running the pageant. He does not want to marry a girl just because she's beautiful; he wants a wife who will make a good home for him and his future children. Mary shares her corn muffin with him. Wintergreen tells Mary that he'd rather marry her than any of the girls in the contest. He kisses her, and she agrees to marry him. The judges of the pageant announce that Diana Devereaux, a beautiful southern girl, has won the contest, but Wintergreen declares that he loves Mary Turner. When he gives some of Mary's extraordinary corn muffins to the judges, they agree that John and Mary are meant to wed ("Because, Because").
OutsideMadison Square Garden in New York City, at a rally for Wintergreen, the campaigners declare that "Love Is Sweeping the Country". Inside, where politicians are speaking in favor of Wintergreen, a wrestling match is going on just below the speakers' platform as Alexander Throttlebottom tries to explain to the organizers that he's the candidate for Vice-President. Wintergreen proposes to Mary onstage, as he has in forty-seven states before. She accepts again, and Wintergreen sings the campaign song to her, "Of Thee I Sing".
On election night, Wintergreen wins by a landslide. Inauguration Day arrives, which is also Wintergreen's wedding day. As his inaugural address, Wintergreen bids goodbye to the girls he used to know ("Here's a Kiss for Cinderella"). TheChief Justice presides over the wedding ceremony, and just after he has pronounced John and Mary man and wife, Diana Devereaux interrupts the proceedings. She is serving Wintergreen with a summons forbreach of promise. She insists she is the one he should have married ("I Was the Most Beautiful Blossom"). TheSupreme Court rules that Mary's corn muffins are more important than justice in this matter, and Diana angrily leaves to tell her story across the nation. Wintergreen leads the Supreme Court and spectators in a chorus of "Of Thee I Sing".
John and Mary settle down to business in theWhite House. Her "desk," back-to-back with his, is a fully loaded tea-table. Their secretaries greet each other "Hello, Good Morning". Alexander Throttlebottom, now Vice-President, sneaks into the White House with a tour group. When a guide tells him that the Vice-President's job is to preside over theU. S. Senate, Throttlebottom eagerly dashes off to theCapitol. Wintergreen's fellow party members inform him that Diana Devereaux is gaining support across the nation. Wintergreen holds a press conference and tells the reporters that his love for Mary is the only thing that matters ("Who Cares?"). The French ambassador unexpectedly arrives ("Garçon, S'il Vous Plaît"). He has a surprise for Mr. Wintergreen: Diana is "'The Illegitimate Daughter' of an illegitimate son of an illegitimate nephew of Napoleon." He insists that Wintergreen annul his marriage and marry Diana to right his grievous offense against France. Everyone agrees that Wintergreen should be impeached for breach of promise ("We'll Impeach Him"), but John and Mary do not care, since they have each other ("Who Cares?" (Reprise)).
Throttlebottom has found the Senate, and the party members inform him that he will soon be President. He is very excited and goes into the Senate Chamber to preside, beginning by taking "The Roll Call." The resolution on the impeachment of the President is brought up, and the French Ambassador and Diana mournfully insist that she was "Jilted." Mary saves the day when she announces that she is pregnant ("Who Could Ask for Anything More?"). The senators refuse to impeach an expectant father, and Wintergreen declares that "Posterity" is just around the corner. The French Ambassador informs Wintergreen that by not marrying Diana, he has contributed to France's declining birth rate. He demands the Wintergreens' baby as a replacement for the one they have "taken" from France. John refuses, and the ambassador walks out.
In the Yellow Room of the White House, guests are arriving bearing gifts for the baby ("Trumpeter, Blow Your Horn"). Wintergreen is nervously awaiting the baby's birth when the French Ambassador arrives with a final message from France: surrender the baby or France will sever diplomatic relations with the U.S. The Supreme Court justices, who have the duty to determine the sex of the baby, announce that twins have been born, a boy and a girl. The French ambassador is even more wounded by this proclamation: France has lost two babies instead of one! Diana mournfully joins him, and Alexander Throttlebottom arrives bearing sweaters for the babies. The French Ambassador is about to declare war when Wintergreen has a brilliant idea: according to Article Twelve of the Constitution, when the President of the United States is unable to fulfill his duties, his obligations are assumed by the Vice-President! The ambassador calls Wintergreen a genius, and Throttlebottom is ecstatic as they pass Diana over to him. Servants wheel a large bed into the room, where Mary sits with the babies. Wintergreen leads everyone in proclaiming, "Of Thee I Sing."
| Character | Original Broadway Production[4] | US National Tour[5] | Broadway Revival[6] | Broadway Revival[7] | CBS Television Production[8] | New York Concert[9] | Reprise Theatre Company[10] | Paper Mill Playhouse[11] | Encores! Production[12] | MasterVoices Concert atCarnegie Hall[13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-1933 | 1932 | 1933 | 1952 | 1972 | 1987 | 1998 | 2004 | 2006 | 2017 | |
| John P. Wintergreen | William Gaxton | Oscar Shaw | William Gaxton | Jack Carson | Carroll O'Connor | Larry Kert | Gregory Harrison | Ron Bohmer | Victor Garber | Bryce Pinkham |
| Mary Turner | Lois Moran | Harriette Lake | Betty Oakes | Cloris Leachman | Maureen McGovern | Garrett Long | Jennifer Laura Thompson | Denée Benton | ||
| Diana Devereaux | Grace Brinkley | Roberta Robinson | Betty Allen | Lenore Lonergan | Michele Lee | Paige O'Hara | Heather Lee | Sarah Knowlton | Jenny Powers | Elizabeth Stanley |
| Alexander Throttlebottom | Victor Moore | Donald Meek | Victor Moore | Paul Hartman | Jack Gilford | Charlie Dell | Wally Dunn | Jefferson Mays | Kevin Chamberlin | |
| Senator Robert F. Lyons | George E. Mack | Francis Pierlot | George E. Mack | Donald Foster | Jim Backus | Walter Hook | — | Hal Blankenship | Jonathan Freeman | — |
| Senator Carver Jones | Edward H. Robins | — | Edward H. Robins | Howard Freeman | — | Mark Zimmerman | — | Herndon Lackey | Erick Devine | — |
| Matthew Arnold Fulton | Dudley Clements | Cecil Lean | Dudley Clements | Loring Smith | Jesse White | Raymond Thorne | Lenny Wolpe | Richard Poe | Michael Mulheren | Chuck Cooper |
| Louis Lippman | Sam Mann | Abe Reynolds | Robert F. Simon | Herb Edelman | Merwin Goldsmith | Gus Corrado | Adam Grupper | Lewis J. Stalden | Brad Oscar | |
| The French Ambassador | Florenz Ames | Adrian Rosley | Florenz Ames | — | Jack Dabdoub | Jason Graae | Fred Berman | David Pittu | ||
| Francis X. Gilhooney | Harold Moffet | Willam J. Pringle | Harold Moffet | J. Pat O'Malley | David Doyle | Frank Kopyc | Craig Wasson | Nick Corley | Wayne Duvall | Fred Applegate |
| Sam Jenkins | George Murphy | Al Sexton | George Murphy | Jonathan Lucas | Garrett Lewis | George Dvorsky | Jason Ma | Sean Palmer | Jeffry Denman | Rhett Guter |
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Of Thee I Sing was the most musically sophisticated of the Gershwin shows up to then, inspired by the works ofGilbert and Sullivan[14] and boasting a varied score including extensive recitative, choral commentary, marches,pastiches, elaborate contrapuntal passages, and ballads.[2][3] Most songs were lengthy and included a large ensemble. As an integrated song-and-story production it produced fewer hit songs than many of the Gershwins' musicals.[15] Ira Gershwin explained, "In the show there are no verse-and-chorus songs; there is a sort of recitative running along, and lots of finales and finalettos."[3] Ira Gershwin recalled that the title song, inspired by the final phrase of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", was somewhat controversial among the production staff. "When we first played this sentimental political campaign song... there were objectors who thought that juxtaposing the dignified 'of thee I sing' with a slangy 'baby' was going a bit too far. Our response was that, naturally, we'd replace it with something else if the paying audience didn't take to it. Opening night, and even weeks later, one could hear a continuous 'Of thee I sing, baby!' in the lobby at intermission time."[2] The music was "employed throughout in what was unquestionably the most closely integrated manner of any Broadway show to that time... Almost everything...was created with a skill that had rarely been equaled in the musical comedy theatre."[16]
Of Thee I Sing was the first American musical with a consistently satirical tone.[2][3] Congress, theU.S. Supreme Court, the presidency, and the democratic process itself were all targets of this satire, prompting original stars William Gaxton and Victor Moore to wonder if they would face government repercussions for their portrayals of President Wintergreen and Vice President Throttlebottom.[3] Specific political parties are not identified in the musical, as Kaufman and Ryskind believed that absurdity was bipartisan in Depression-era politics.[2]
The originalBroadway production, directed by Kaufman, opened at theMusic Box Theatre on December 26, 1931, and ran for 441 performances.[3] The cast includedWilliam Gaxton as John P. Wintergreen,Lois Moran as Mary Turner, Grace Brinkley as Diana Devereaux,Victor Moore as Alexander Throttlebottom, andGeorge Murphy as Sam Jenkins. It was produced bySam H. Harris. Sets were designed byJo Mielziner, costumes by Carles LeMaire, and dances staged by Georgie Hale.[17] It was Gaxton and Moore's first comedic pairing; they would collaborate on six more Broadway musicals, includingAnything Goes.[3] The orchestrations were byRobert Russell Bennett,William Daly (including the "Overture"), and Gershwin ("Hello, Good Morning").Of Thee I Sing was the longest-running Gershwin show during George Gershwin's lifetime.
There were Broadway revivals in 1933 at theImperial Theatre and in 1952 at theZiegfeld Theatre, both directed by Kaufman. A concert production ofOf Thee I Sing was mounted by Ian Marshall Fisher'sLost Musicals series at theBarbican Centre in London in August 1996. Fisher's series examines the Gershwins' lesser known works (as well as others) and has been based at London'sRoyal Opera House andSadler's Wells.[18] The musical was presented in 1990 by theNew York Gilbert and Sullivan Players[14] and in May 2006 as part of theNew York City CenterEncores! staged concert series. Directed byJohn Rando and choreographed byRandy Skinner, the cast starredVictor Garber as Wintergreen,Jefferson Mays as Throttlebottom, andJennifer Laura Thompson as First Lady.[19] It was revived in July 2015 at theRoyal Festival Hall, London, by producer Ollie Rosenblatt as a full musical with orchestra. Devereaux was played byHannah Waddingham, Wintergreen byHadley Fraser, and Throttlebottom by Tom Edden. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra provided a new orchestration for the piece.[citation needed] In September 2015 the Sqabbalogic theatre company andSydney Philharmonia Choirs presented the musical in the Concert Hall,Sydney Opera House.[citation needed]
A television version was produced in 1972 byCBS, mostly starring actors then appearing in CBS series, includingCarroll O'Connor as President Wintergreen.[20] ANational Radio Theater version starringJohn Cullum was broadcast byNPR in 1984 and theBBC in 1984 and 1992.[citation needed]
In the 1930s, theMarx Brothers had intended to produce a film adaptation of the musical, but they decided to makeDuck Soup instead. Many scholars draw parallels betweenOf Thee I Sing andDuck Soup, suggesting that the musical helped provide inspiration for that Marx Brothers classic.[21]
A musical sequel toOf Thee I Sing was written by the same team:Let 'Em Eat Cake was produced on Broadway in 1933, reusing some of the music from its predecessor. However, the sequel was a critical and box-office failure.[citation needed]Let 'Em Eat Cake marked the last Broadway musical written by the Gershwins (countingPorgy and Bess as an opera rather than a musical).
Brooks Atkinson in theNew York Times called the musical "a brisk musical comedy", writing that "There is dancing, both routine and inventive. There are lyrics done in Ira Gershwin's neatest style...Best of all, there is Mr. Gershwin's score. Whether it is satire, wit, doggerel or fantasy, Mr. Gershwin pours music out in full measure and in many voices. Although the book is lively, Mr. Gershwin is exuberant."[22]
In 1932,Of Thee I Sing became the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama.[2][23] The 1932 Pulitzer Prize Committee stated, "Of Thee I Sing is not only coherent and well-knit enough to class as a play, but it is a biting and true satire on American politics and the public attitude towards them.... The play is genuine and it is felt the Pulitzer Prize could not serve a better purpose than to recognize such work.[2] The prize was awarded only to Kaufman, Ryskind and Ira Gershwin; George Gershwin received no recognition, since the Pulitzer Prize was considered a literary award. In 1998, at the centennial of his birth, he was posthumously awarded an honorary Pulitzer.[3]
In hisNew York Times review of the 2006 concert revival, Charles Isherwood calledOf Thee I Sing "a trenchant little musical satire... the laughter that greets the show today is tinged with surprise at how eerily some of its jokes seem to take precise aim, from decades back, at current affairs. A chorus of reporters sings to the new president of the '17 vacations you have had since you've been here.' A politician dismissesAbraham Lincoln's pronouncement about not being able to fool all of the people all the time by remarking: 'It's different nowadays. People are bigger suckers.' ...it serves as a sigh-inducing argument for the enduring follies of American politics."[15]
