IT was written in the 1930s but it couldn't be more topical – an American election with a vice-Presidential candidate nobody had heard of before and who is clueless about politics.
Yes, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin springs to mind, but so does Sheffield comedian Michael Palin, as a bumbling performance by Steven Beard (a face familiar to Crucible audiences) as the hapless politician almost steals the show.
George and Ira Ger
shwin wrote their satirical operetta to lampoon President Herbert Hoover but it remains just as applicable to the George Bush era.
Caroline Gawn's production for Opera North is as American as corn muffins but, despite a largely jazzy score, the influence of our own Gilbert and Sullivan on the Gershwins is plastered all over it.
The storyline – girl sues President for breach of promise – is pinched straight from Trial by Jury and lovers of both the great American songbook and the Savoy operas will feel equally rewarded. A transatlantic treat.
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