Of Thee I Sing
Louise Gold played the featured role of Diana
Deavereaux at Barbican Cinema 1 on 18, 25 August, 1 and 8 September 1996
Cast
Louis
Lippman/Wrestler - Simon Roberts
Francis X.
Gilhooley - Harry Landis
Chambermaid
- Fiona Dunn
Matthew
Arnold Fulton - Frank Thornton
Senator
Robert E Lyons - Phillip O'Brien
Senator
Carver Jones - James Bree
Alexander
Throttlebottem - Peter Jones
John P.
Wintergreen - Henry Goodman
Jenkins - Edward
Baker-Duly
Diana
Devereaux - Louise Gold
Mary Turner
- Nicola Fuljames
Miss Benson
- Ashleigh Sendin
The Chief
Justice - Robert Carlin
Tourist - Jason
Nolan
Tourist - Stephen
McCarthy
Doctor - Ian
Duncan
The
Scrubwoman - Helen Duncan
Guide/Radio Announcer/Wrestler/The
French Ambassador - James Vaughan
Senate Clerk
- Stephen Fewell
Tourist - Michaela
Noakes
Production Team
Music - George
Gershwin
Lyrics - Ira
Gershwin
Book - George
S Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind
Original
Production – 26 December 1931, The Music Box Theatre,
Musical
Director - Mark Warman
Director/Producer
- Ian Marshall-Fisher
For a full account/review
of the show, please click here.
Two years after it’s original production, Of
Thee I Sing, had a successor show, called Let
‘Em Eat Cake, which followed the story of what happened to the central
characters four years later. This also had a Gershwin score, and a book by George
S Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind.
Incidents like the 2000 US Presidential Election make
one understand what possessed Kaufman and Ryskind et al to write musicals such
as this one.
The Supreme Court judges had to sing a line “We’re
the A.K’s who give the O.K’s”. It should perhaps be explained that “A.K.’s”
is an abbreviation for the Yiddish phrase “Alte Kockers” meaning “Old
Men” or “Old Fogy’s”, a reference to the fact that President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt had annoyed The Supreme Court immensely by
referring to them as “Nine Old Men”, a fact which was used a great deal
in Moss Hart, Richard Rogers and Lorenz’s Heart’s
political musical I’d Rather Be Right. (Which The Lost
Musicals gang performed in May 1999, with Kenneth Haigh as Roosevelt
and James Vaughan as The Chief Justice)
Henry Goodman and Louise Gold had
previously appeared together, in the politically motivated Assassins, and a radio
production of Of Thee I Sing's successor, Let ‘Em Eat Cake (where instead of playing John
P. Wintergreen, Henry Goodman played a malcontent named Kreuger). They
went on to appear in the Sondheim musical Follies
Helen Duncan had previously appeared
in Sondheim At The Barbican
Louise Gold and Ashleigh Sendin
had previously appeared together in Anything
Goes, and the Lost Musicals production of Something For The Boys.
Ashleigh Sendin, Louise Gold and James
Vaughan had previously appeared together in The Lost Musicals
production of: One Touch Of Venus (1992)
Louise Gold and James Vaughan
had previously appeared together in Du Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production) ,
they went on to appear in: Panama Hattie were best cast together in
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and teamed
up again in Du Barry Was A Lady (2001
Production) (where their performance was very different to their one in
this show). They also went on to appear together in the film Crush.
James Vaughan also helped out on the
film Muppet Treasure Island on which Louise Gold puppeteered.
Fiona Dunn went on to appear in: Regents Park 70th Anniversary Gala
Louise Gold
and Fiona Dunn have gone on to appear together in The Gondoliers and The Water Babies, at
Edward
Baker-Duly, and, Louise Gold have gone
on to appear in Side By Side By Sondheim 30th
Anniversary Gala.
Henry Goodman has gone on to
appear in A Love Letter To Dan.
Louise Gold had peviously
appeared in the gala Dear Ralph, in memory of a
real life sort of relative of Napoleon’s (possibly even a real life distant
cousin of the character Diana Deavereux).
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