Of Thee I Sing / Let 'em Eat Cake (1987 Studio Recording)

Of Thee I Sing/Let 'Em Eat Cake was one of the leading recordings during the Gershwin CD revival of the late 1980s. Led by Gershwin expert Michael Tilson Thomas using some newly discovered materials, it resuscitated two nearly forgotten satires from the 1930s sung by casts who were better able to capture the spirit of the music than the opera stars who were in vogue at the time. Larry Kert (the original Tony in West Side Story) played goofy U.S. presidential candidate John P. Wintergreen, who decides to run his campaign on a theme of love. He promises to marry the winner of a beauty contest, only to reject her (played by Paige O'Hara) for secretary Mary Turner (played by cabaret singer Maureen McGovern), in great part because Mary can make corn muffins. Jack Gilford is his hapless vice president candidate Throttlebottom. The story is silly fun (who can forget the Supreme Court's question of "Which is more important, corn muffins or justice?") and the great songs include "Who Cares," "Love Is Sweeping the Country," and the title tune. The second disc features the follow-up musical, Let 'Em Eat Cake with the same principal characters plus a fiery revolutionary played by David Garrison. It's not as fun as Of Thee I Sing nor is its score as memorable ("More" is the only standard that emerged). But the two-disc set is an impressive achievement, and paved the way for the even more comprehensive and scholarly series of Nonesuch Gershwin recordings a few years later. --David Horiuchi