It was a last minute decision to book tickets for a concert staged version of the 1931 Gershwin Brothers' musical 'Of Thee I Sing' staged for two performances on the weekend.
Written during, and heavily influenced by, the Great Depression the musical is a satire about politics in the USA. A politician stands for President of the United States on a platform of 'love'. It is the sort of silliness that was the hallmark of Marx Brothers films in the 1930s and 1940s.
The plot is old fashioned and mindless and all innocent fun.
An orchestra of thirty or so players, the Sydney Philharmonic Choir of, say, about 100 and a hard working cast of seven produced a delightful staging. Although I didn't recognise any of the numbers the tunefulness of George Gershwin's songs and the wit of brother Ira Gershwin's lyrics are clearly evident in this early work of their careers.
★★★★
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