George Gershwin "OF THEE I SING" Victor Moore / William Gaxton 1933 Playbill

Description

This is a rare May 29th, 1933 playbill from the return engagement of the Original Broadway production of the GEORGE and IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE S. KAUFMAN and MORRIE RYSKIND musical comedy "OF THEE I SING" at the
Imperial Theatre
in New York City. (The production opened December 26th, 1931 at New York's Music Box Theatre, moved to the Forty-Sixth Street Theatre on October 10th, 1932 and closed January 14th, 1933 after 441 performances before going on tour. Following the tour, the production returned to New York's Imperial Theatre on May 15th, 1933 for an additional 32 performances
.) ..... The groundbreaking "OF THEE I SING" was the first musical awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and one of the first Broadway productions to deal with the serious subject of American politics, satirizing inept politicians with limited vision and the ignorant voters who elect them .....The musical starred WILLIAM GAXTON, LOIS MORAN and VICTOR MOORE (all shown in the cover photo) and featured SAM MANN, HAROLD MOFFET, VIVIAN BARRY, DUDLEY CLEMENTS, GEORGE E. MACK, EDWARD H. ROBINS, GEORGE MURPHY, BETTY ALLEN, JUNE O'DEA, TOM DRAAK, SULO HEVONPAA, RALPH RIGGS, LESLIE BINGHAM, FLORENZ AMES and MARTIN LEROY ..... CREDITS: Book by GEORGE S. KAUFMAN and MORRIE RYSKIND; Music by GEORGE GERSHWIN ("Girl Crazy", "Lady, Be Good!", "Of Thee I Sing", "Oh, Kay!", "Rosalie", "Funny Face", "Porgy and Bess", "George White's Scandals"); Lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN; Choreographed by GEORGIE HALE; Sets designed by JO MIELZINER; Costumes designed by WELD and CHARLES LeMAIRE; Directed by GEORGE S. KAUFMAN; Produced by SAM H. HARRIS ..... DETAILS: The 32 page playbill measures 7" X 9 1/2" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers, bios of each of the leading actors and wonderful vintage advertising (including an Ansonia Shoes advertisement featuring ETHEL MERMAN) but with the exception of the front cover, no cast photos ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a light vertical fold and small surface marks on the cover, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.