Musical Spotlight: Of Thee I Sing by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, and Ira Gershwin (1932)

Description
The show satirizes American politics. The presidential candidate John P. Wintergreen chooses to campaign on a "love" platform. A pageant is run to determine his wife, but he opts for the "homely" woman. Eventually, the runner-up turns out to be the "illegitimate daughter of the illegitimate son of and illegitimate nephew of Napoleon." Wintergreen is threatened by this "reality." In the end, he must choose who he wants to support and be associated with. Listen to the album here.
   
Candid Reaction
Impeachment? Questionable campaigns? Pageantry? Hmmm. Sometimes I fool myself into thinking that satire is a new thing popularized by The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, but shows like this remind me that American satire has existed forever. 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
  1. The blatant satire of the show examines the value Americans place on both international affairs and domestic interest. 
  2. The second act's spiraling satire with the introduction of Diana pushes the play over the edge--the shows extends from mere satire to an indictment on the absurdity of American politics. Listen to the breakdown here. 
Classroom Implications
It would be interesting to find a script of this musical to study satire and character development. Given the current political environment, it could be interesting to compare/contrast the attitude of the real-life American public and the depiction of the public in the musical. The show would be great for noting the difference between tone and mood. 

Personal Takeaway
Pulitzer Prize winners must have ongoing cultural relevancy.  

Ranking
[To be determined once I make up the rubric!]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiot's Delight -- by Robert E. Sherwood (1936)

Image
Description Idiot's Delight is Robert Sherwood's first of three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. The play starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne -- a pairing who has a Broadway theater named after them. The play is set at the Hotel Monte Gabriele in the Italian Alps near Switzerland and Austria. Keep in mind that the play is written in between WWI and WWII. The play takes place "in any imminent year" . . . Disturbing? I think so. The play centers on an assortment of international travelers who find themselves stuck in a hotel due to travel restrictions from a looming war. The individuals talk with each other and get to know each other. The play contains classic comedic hallmarks such as mistaken identities and a unification of a couple at the end. However, the play also contains a grim warning to the world: humans are capable of thoughtless evil.  Candid Reactions The Captain confesses, "I too, am a pawn" (16). This line is layered. It is both funny an...
Read more

Alison's House -- by Susan Glaspell (1931)

Image
Description I've reached a point in this project I both dreaded and anticipated with much joy. I am happy to say that I've been able to access these plays either through my own collection or from my local libraries. However, there are some plays that are simply not accessible in these libraries. It frustrates me that my timeline is now less in my control, but it excites me that interlibrary loan exists and can do the hard word for me! Susan Glaspell's Alison's House  is the first play I have had to receive via ILL. The 1931 play is based on Emily Dickinson's life. The play is set on New Year's Eve of 1899 at the Stanhope house . . . or Alison Stanhope's house . . . even though it wasn't her house . . . She did live there on the second floor in her private room. The family is preparing to leave the house and must determine what to do with the remains of her room. Several members of the family have differing opinions on what should be done. Do they pre...
Read more

Rankings

9.75 -- Fences by August Wilson ( 1987 ) 9.5 -- The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy (1965) 9.25 -- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (1955) 9.25 -- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn (1978) 9.25  --   Long Day's Journey into Night  by Eugene O'Neill  (1957) 9.25 -- Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007) 9.25 -- Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks ( 2002 ) 9.0 -- Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner (1993)   9.0  --  Anna Christie  by Eugene O'Neill  (1922) 9.0 -- Cost of Living by Martyna Majok ( 2018 ) 9.0 -- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949) 9.0 -- Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (2005) 9.0 --  The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) 9.0 -- 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (1983) 9.0 -- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes ( 2012 ) 8 .75 --  Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (1920) 8.75 -- How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel ( 1998 ) 8.75 -- ...
Read more