Événement

Of Thee I Sing

Love gets in the political way of a campaign for presidency; will it be true love or the oval office?

Come see Of Thee I Sing, a live theater production the weekend before the 2016 presidential election. Directed by Bryn Elizan Harris, with performers Lloyd Cross, Wayne Harris, Sita Milchev, Cassy Grossman and a talented cast pulled from members of the community including the Taptations.

The award-winning musical lampoons American politics and follows John P. Wintergreen, the presidential candidate who runs on the Love platform. When he falls in love with the sensible campaign secretary Mary Turner (who bakes a mean corn muffin), instead of Diana Devereaux, the beauty pageant winner selected for him, he gets into political hot water.

Inspired by the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, the Gershwin brothers can boast a varied score including extensive recitative, choral commentary, marches, pastiches, elaborate contrapuntal passages and ballads. George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind created a crafty libretto inspired by the timeless battle of political idealism with corruption and incompetency, creating the first American musical with a consistently satirical tone. "Of Thee I Sing" is a hilarious and timeless send-up of national institutions that is as relevant as ever. It features a Vice President who wanders the halls of the white house unrecognized by his own staff as well as its own impeachment proceedings.

The original Broadway production directed by Kaufman opened in 1931 and ran for 441 performances, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1932.

"The adaptation is a Hillary-us production that will trump your expectations!" says Harris

Some of the original reviews are:
Funnier than the government and not nearly so dangerous. -New York Times

The piece is a Washington Merry-Go-Round, with a hey nonny nonny and a Ha-cha-cha, and it gets funnier and funnier. The New Yorker

Its eerie how some of the jokes seem to take precise aim, from decades back at current affairs and it serves as a sigh-inducing argument for the enduring follies of American Politics -New York Times Review