Political Satire Meets Musical History: Gershwin's Pulitzer Winner Takes the Michigan Theater
The University of Michigan’s Gershwin Initiative is turning back the clock to showcase a pioneering work of American political satire that proves the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The U-M Gershwin Initiative, founded at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD), is a long-term partnership between the university and the families of George and Ira Gershwin to bring the music of the Gershwins to students, scholars, performers and audiences across campus and across the globe. This two-part effort includes publishing new, scholarly musical scores for all of George and Ira’s creative work, while creating educational opportunities for U-M students to perform and learn about the Gershwin brothers’ art.
The upcoming performance Of Thee I Sing (1931) features the story of candidate and future President John P. Wintergreen, who runs on a “love” platform, hoping to unite a divided country as he seeks both the nation’s highest office as well as a First Lady among the women of all 50 states. Rooted in the anxieties of the Great Depression and the rising tide of war abroad, the show is surprisingly relevant today, including accusations of fraud, sexism, and a stolen election.
This one-time-only concert performance will present the first public reading of a brand-new U-M musical edition, created as part of the George and Ira Gershwin Critical Edition series. Featuring the vocal talent of U-M Musical Theater students under the direction of Professor Catherine Walker, the show will feature a full broadway orchestra and an updated narration created by Laurence Maslon, executor of the Kaufman and Ryskind Estates. Imagined in the style of a 1930s broadcast, the narration will be read by NPR music journalist and current U-M Knight-Wallace Arts Journalism Fellow Anastasia Tsioulcas.
This theatrical show is a joint production and collaboration between Marquee Arts and the Gershwin Initiative at U-M, made possible through the generous support of the U-M Arts Initiative, Michigan Medicine, and Arbor Brewing Company. Visit marquee-arts.org for tickets and additional information.