TheatreZone's 'Of Thee I Sing' milks manic voting year

If you're aghast at this year's election, take comfort in knowing that in the depths of the Great Depression, the American public was just as aghast at its state of politics. But that generation had a wonderful antidote: a hearty laugh.

They also had George S. Kaufman ("You Can't Take It With You") and Morrie Ryskind ("Animal Crackers"), two writers whose pens were as sharp as needles, to write satires on it. Then there were George and Ira Gershwin, composers of instant classics, to add a star-spangled soundtrack. That fortuitous collaboration's child, "Of Thee I Sing," won a Pulitzer Prize, one of only two musical comedies to ever ascend to the honor.Sa

It's just what the nation needs this year, believes Mark Danni, artistic director of TheatreZone. "Of Thee I Sing" opens Saturday at the U. Tobe Theatre at Florida Gulf Coast University, where music and theater students will work alongside Equity actors to bring back, if not a chicken in every pot, an evening of lively music and smart banter Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9. There is — sorry, Tim Kaine and Mike Pence — the vice presidential candidate so embarrassed about the position's shabby status he fears his mother will find out ("Listen, she'll never hear about it. You'll forget it yourself in three months," campaign workers reassure him).

There is the pretty-boy, mirror-gazing presidential candidate, John P. Wintergreen; the hair-raising — or perhaps it's heir-raising here — fallout of publicity stunts that promise his hand to a beauty contest winner; and the rivalry between marrying arm candy or a woman who can bake a good corn muffin ("I don't even use corn," boasts presidential heart-stealer Mary Turner).

"It puts things in perspective," said Gerritt VanderMeer, assistant professor of theater at FGCU, who has the role of John Wintergreen, the handsome presidential aspirant hiding a hope for a sincere relationship in his life. "It makes our problems seem a little less dire because it shows previous generations faced the same kind of situation."

He took the role for its opportunity to work alongside his students with the professionals in the play, he said. "I see tremendous growth in students who have been in these productions year after year. Just the way their voices have developed and their stage presence has developed is remarkable."

Theater student Lucas Ackerman, who plays the jaded Senate majority leader, agreed: "Working for TheatreZone gives me more of a sense of maturity. In the real acting world, there's no hand holding. They're a little gentler here because some of us are still students, but it's professional in tone."

In fact, several of the stars here are actors who began as students with TheatreZone; Kayley Stevens, a 2009 graduate of Community School, is performing her first Equity role here, and the alumna of TheatreZone student work says she jumped at the chance to return, partly because she worked with the company six years as a student, and partly because it's time home from New York to spend with her family. This one will be particularly sweet for her: She's off to rehearsals for the Broadway Christmas Wonderland show playing in Tokyo over the holidays.

"I'm a dancer and singer — a huge dancer. Most roles I play are major dance projects. But Mark knew I had all the same attributes as this character (Diana Devereaux, the all-American beauty)," she said. Devereaux avenges being thrown over by the president for a good batch of corn muffins in an international way, and Stevens' favorite number of the show is her melodramatic courtroom declaration, "Jilted."

Kellie Cullinan, a 2006 Community School graduate and current actor in New York, said she loves coming back and loves the show: "We get to be so incredibly silly onstage that there are times when both of us (she and VanderMeer) break out laughing onstage." A fan of the Gershwins and Cole Porter, she said she loves the larger-than-life songs she gets to sing in her Mary Turner role, such as "Who Cares?" ("Who cares what banks fail in Yonkers/Long as you've got a kiss that conquers?")

"I miss seeing lyrics like those in contemporary theater pieces," said Cullinan, a former Village School faculty member who still returns for special classes on occasion.

But the happiest member of the cast may be the one with the worst job: Wayne Morton, playing vice-presidential doormat Alexander Throttlebottom. Morton came to North Fort Myers ostensibly to retire after more than 40 years on Broadway and TV (he was the Meineke Muffler Man in the 1980s, and TV watchers will spot him on syndicated shows from "Mork and Mindy" to "WKRP in Cincinnati"). At age 72, however, he is "still 'trodding the boards' and having a lot of fun," he declared.

His Throttlebottom is "what my mother used to call a nervous piece of lint," Morton said, but he sprints to his own surprise victory in the end.

Morton has so much acting experience, he'll also address theater classes at FGCU this year. Part of the secret ofhis longevity is that he finds something exciting in every production.

"This one is like a little operetta. The voices just soar," he said, adding a teaser. "The audience is going to get a kick out of the roll call in the Senate."

If you go

'Of Thee I Sing'

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9; Thursday and Friday, Oct. 6-7 performances have been cancelled because the campus has closed for hurricane safety; those holding tickets for those dates have had their seats transferred to Saturday

Where: U. Tobe Recital Hall, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers

Admission: $10-$65

To buy: theatrezone-florida.com or 888-966-3352