‘Of Thee I Sing’ Timely in Wit, Gershwin Tunes

A Southern woman sues the president. He’s urged to resign, then he’s threatened with impeachment. Meanwhile, contributors to the president’s campaign are staying in the White House bedrooms.

These aren’t recent developments. They’re all right there in the script by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind and lyrics by Ira Gershwin for “Of Thee I Sing,” which was first produced in 1931.

Not that all of the surprisingly timely references in the show were originally intended as satire. In the Reprise! revival of the show at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, a White House tour guide gets the evening’s biggest laugh when he simply describes what the president does in his office, using innocent words that now have achieved double entendre status.

Reprise! scheduled “Of Thee I Sing” before Monica Lewinsky became famous, producer Marcia Seligson says in a program note. The production was timed as a 100th birthday tribute to George Gershwin, the show’s composer.

Arthur Allan Seidelman’s staging certainly lights the candles in high style. Despite the presence of seldom-used scripts on stage (Reprise! does semi-staged versions, with little rehearsal time), this “Of Thee I Sing” is light on its feet and sharp in its wit.

Gregory Harrison plays John P. Wintergreen, the presidential candidate who runs on a platform of love and then is pilloried for remaining loyal to his wife--OK, not all of the parallels to today are precise. Wintergreen is an empty suit compared to Clinton, but Harrison has the matinee-idol looks to make his ascent plausible, at least in this satirical context, and he handles the comedy with a wry confidence.

So does Maureen McGovern as a muffin-cooking first lady, and she warbles the score’s traces of Gilbert & Sullivan homage with ease.

Some extraordinary performances arise from the supporting cast. Foremost is Charlie Dell’s definitive portrait of Alexander Throttlebottom, the vice president who’s so ignored that he has to see the White House on a scheduled tour--and even then isn’t recognized. Dell’s reedy voice and unassuming looks are ideal for Throttlebottom’s polite but persistent efforts to get closer to the action.

Heather Lee is very funny as the Southern belle who wins a contest to become the future president’s bride, only to be “Jilted,” as she sings in a melodramatic faux-French accent. An audience who heard Hillary Clinton’s early remarks about baking cookies can sympathize with Lee’s disdain for the attention paid to the first lady’s kitchen skills. Jason Graae, knowing a chance to do broad shtick when it pops up, makes the most of the French ambassador who takes up the jilted girl’s cause. And Lenny Wolpe, Craig Wasson and Gus Corrado are an amusingly contrasted trio of bosses behind the scenes. Peter Matz’s 10-piece onstage band keeps the tempos brisk.

Although “Of Thee I Sing” has its unwitting parallels to today’s events, it avoids slashing personal attacks in favor of a skewering of American politics in general, including the public’s interest in a president’s private life. That’s why this particular satire still strikes a chord, 67 years later.

* “Of Thee I Sing,” Freud Playhouse, UCLA (Parking Lot 3, Hilgard Avenue), Westwood. Tuesday-Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; this Sunday only, 7 p.m. Ends Nov. 22. $45-$50. (310) 825-2101. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Gregory Harrison: John P. Wintergreen

Maureen McGovern: Mary Turner

Heather Lee: Diana Devereaux

Charlie Dell: Alexander Throttlebottom

Gus Corrado: Louis Lippman

Craig Wasson: Francis X. Gilhooley

Lenny Wolpe: Matthew Arnold Fulton

Jason Ma: Sam Jenkins

Lise Simms: Miss Benson

Alan Oppenheimer: The Chief Justice

William Akey: Tour Guide

Jason Graae: French Ambassador

Deborah Bartlett: Chambermaid

A Reprise! Broadway’s Best in Concert production. Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. Book adapted by Laurence Maslon. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. Musical direction by Peter Matz. Choreography by Rob Barron. Set by Gary Wissmann. Costumes by Garland Riddle. Lighting by Tom Ruzika. Sound by Jon Gottlieb and Philip G. Allen. Associate musical director Gerald Sternbach. Stage manager Ronn Goswick.