Muisc by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind
March 4-27, 2027
The Gershwins'
OF THEE I SING
Buy Season Tickets Here!
"Of Thee I Sing is the sharpest, wittiest, and by all odds the most salubrious cathartic applied to American customs and morals that the stage, whether dramatic or musical, has offered us in an unnecessarily long time. With it, further, I believe that the American musical comedy enters at length upon a new, original, and independent lease of life." -- theatre critic George Jean Nathan
"What little dignity there may have been in politics and government has been laughed out of court by Of Thee I Sing. It is the work of George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, as neat a pair of satirists as ever scuttled a national tradition; and it has George Gershwin's most brilliant score to sharpen the humor and fantasticate the ideas. For this loud and blaring circus is no jerry-built musical comedy, although occasionally it subsides into the musical comedy formula. And it is no idle bit of buffoonery, although occasionally it degenerates into the specious cleverness of Broadway. The authors have transposed the charlatanry of national politics into a hurly-burly of riotous campaign slogans, political knavery, comic national dilemmas and general burlesque." -- Brooks Atkinson, New York Times
"A satirical fling at our political system and the breed of self-seeking politicians it has developed. The Kaufman-Ryskind javelins of wit are flung at our sentimental and nose-ringed citizenry, and its hysterical following of every hokumeer who can catch the public attention." -- Burns Mantle, The Best Plays of 1931-32
Once in a while, a show comes along that warms your heart and sends you out into the world a better person.
This is not that show.
This show sends you out laughing nervously and questioning your voting history.
New Line Theatre continues its 35th season with the hilariously goofy, Pulitzer Prize–winning Jazz Age musical comedy OF THEE I SING. Because nothing says “timeless entertainment” like a musical about a completely absurd presidential election that feels weirdly current. Featuring songs by George and Ira Gershwin and a script by legendary comedy troublemakers George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, Of Thee I Sing gleefully dives into the kind of political chaos that makes you say, “Wait… this was written in 1931?”
Riffing on the topsy-turvy madness of Gilbert and Sullivan, the show delivers one of the most ridiculous presidential campaigns you’ve ever seen -- complete with an Atlantic City beauty pageant, a sex scandal, an impeachment, and plenty of backroom deals. And somehow, nearly a century on, the jokes still land a little too well. As one critic noted, the show feels less like a period piece and more like a documentary with better music.
Responsible for much of the Great American Songbook, the Gershwin Brothers wrote fifteen musicals together, including Strike Up the Band, Funny Face, Girl Crazy, and Porgy and Bess, as well as several film musicals. Their timeless song catalog includes classics like “I Got Rhythm,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” "The Man I Love," "A Foggy Day," "They Can't Take that Away from Me," "Our Love is Here to Stay," "Nice Work If You Can Get It, " and “S’Wonderful,” among dozens of others. Meanwhile, Kaufman and Ryskind were busy redefining comedy with works like Animal Crackers and other projects with the Marx Brothers, plus Kaufman’s long list of classic stage collabroations, You Can't Take It With You, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Merrily We Roll Along, The Royal Family, and Once in a Lifetime, among others.
In 1932, Of Thee I Sing became the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The prize was awarded only to George Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, and Ira Gershwin. George Gershwin received no recognition, since the Pulitzer Prize was a literary award. In 1998, at the centennial of his birth, George was posthumously awarded an honorary Pulitzer. Though this was the first musical to win the Pulitzer, many others have followed: South Pacific, Fiorello!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Chorus Line, Sunday in the Park with George, Rent, Next to Normal, Hamilton, and A Strange Loop.
New Line's production will be directed by Scott Miller and Chris Moore, with music direction by Jason Eschhofen, sound design by Ryan Day, scenic design by Dr. Rob Lippert, and lighting design by Eric Wennlund.
Ticket Info
OF THEE I SING runs March 4-27, 2027, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, all at 8:00 p.m., at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in the Grand Center Arts District. March 4 is a preview.
To purchase season tickets click here. Single Tickets will go on sale in August. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $25 for students. For the March 4 preview performance, tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $20 for students. To charge single tickets by phone, call MetroTix at 314-534-1111 or visit the Fox Theatre box office or the MetroTix website.
PREVIEW NIGHT: Thursday, March 4, all tickets $5 off the regular price
OPENING NIGHT AFTER-PARTY: Friday, March 5, our audience is invited to stay after the performance to meet the cast and staff
BOHEMIAN NIGHT: Thursday, March 11, all tickets $20, for all the starving artsies out there
POST-SHOW TALK-BACK: Saturday, March 20, Q&A with the cast and staff, after the performance
COLLEGE FREE SEATS: Ten free seats set aside for every performance, open to any college student with a valid student ID.
HIGH SCHOOL DISCOUNT: Any high school student with a valid school ID can get a $10 ticket for any performance, with the code word, posted only on New Line's Facebook page.
EDUCATORS & MILITARY DISCOUNT: New Line offers all currently employed educators and active duty military personnel half price tickets on any Thursday night, with work ID or other proof of employment.
All discounts not valid in connection with other offers, available only at the door, and subject to availability. All programs subject to change.
Want to explore more?
We recommend:
The complete studio recording, also including the sequel, Let 'Em Eat Cake, and the 1952 revival cast album
The Of Thee I Sing script
The show's production history, and info about the show on the official George S. Kaufman website
Great books about American politics in the 1920s and 30s
● Crooked: The Roaring '20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal
● Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s – A Classic Chronicle of Scandal, Prosperity, and the Great Depression
● The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country
● The 103rd Ballot: The Legendary 1924 Democratic Convention That Forever Changed Politics
The terrific piano-vocal books The Gershwin Song Collection Volume 1 (1918-1930) and The Gershwin Song Collection Volume 2 (1931-1954)
The excellent book Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music
