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 -
The Scrubwoman - Helen Duncan
Guide/Radio Announcer/Wrestler/The French Ambassador -
James Vaughan
Senate Clerk - Stephen Fewell
Tourist -
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.
Edward Baker-Duly’s recording credits include 100 Hits Musicals.
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).
Mark Warman has gone on to play the piano for Darling
of The Day.
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