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, choreography by Livy Potthoff, sound design by Ryan Day, scenic design by Dr. Rob Lippert, and lighting design by Eric Wennlund.