Let’Em Eat Cake is the sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Of Thee I Sing but it did not achieve the same success for George and Ira Gershwin, George S. Kaufman, and Morrie Ryskind. In part, this can be attributed to its darker tone and the political climate into which it was released. With thinly veiled references to Hitler's Brown Shirts (“Blue Shirts”), totalitarianism and anarchy, the musical follows the fortunes of President John P. Wintergreen at the end of his first term in office. When he is defeated for re-election, Wintergreen and his wife Mary decide to go into the shirt business, where they hit upon a groundbreaking idea. For every shirt sold, a revolution is promised on a money-back guarantee. Following a march on Washington, Wintergreen becomes the nation’s somewhat reluctant dictator. However, it is not safe at the top, and he cannot avoid the threat of execution when the rabble-rouser Kruger gets the Army on his side.
Despite its critical and popular failure, Let ‘Em Cake includes the Gershwin brothers’ hit ballad “Mine” and has been revived in concert 70 years after its premiere.
Let 'Em Eat Cake guide sections
