| with Larry Kert, Maureen McGovern and Jack Gilford some years ago. I love "Of Thee I Sing", and I've seen several productions, including one by the NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players up at Symphony Space where, as described down thread a bit, I actually got a chance to meet and let inadvertently cut in line the Gershwin's sister Frances, who I recognized. "Would you have let me if I wasn't who I was", she asked? I told her, "How many times in my life will I ever get a chance to do a Gershwin a favor?" to which she smiled. Anyway, the BAM "Of Thee I Sing" was very good, with a particularly outstanding Paige O'Hara (in what I thought should have been a star-making turn) as Diana Devereux. I guess they must have done some trimming to do both of these shows in one production, but after intermission was "Let 'Em Eat Cake", and the contrast to "Of Thee I Sing" was immediately noticeable -- very downbeat, bleak, cynical, by design, and thus coming off rather unpleasant by comparison. The main saving grace was the song "Mine" which is lovely, and has actually since been regularly made part of "Of Thee I Sing", even dating back to the Jack Carson recording of the show. |
