New York City
The Irish Repertory Theatre presents George M. Cohan Tonight!, a musical following the extraordinary life and career of the legendary showman. The show features Jon Peterson, and is written, arranged, and directed by Chip Deffaa. Music and Lyrics are by George M. Cohan with additional material by Chip Deffaa. Musical Direction is by Sterling Price-McKinney.
George M. Cohan may well have been the single most talented figure in American theatrical history. He gave Broadway its pace, its beat, its snap. He wrote, directed, and produced scores of shows; penned hundreds of songs; and became the most popular musical comedy star of his era. Critics called him “The First Actor” and “The Man Who Owns Broadway.” Starting out as a poor Irish-American kid from Providence, RI, Cohan never spent more than a few weeks in school. Nevertheless, he remade the American songbook, and made America — not Europe — the standard-setter for musical theater.