George M. Cohan Tonight!

Last updated
George M. Cohan Tonight!
George M. Cohan Tonight!.jpg
Music George M. Cohan
LyricsGeorge M. Cohan
Book Chip Deffaa
BasisThe life of George M. Cohan
Productions2006

George M. Cohan Tonight! is a 2006 musical, conceived, written and arranged by Chip Deffaa, with music and lyrics by George M. Cohan, and additional material by Deffaa. [1]

Contents

It is a one-man show depicting the life and music of Cohan utilizing his songs, dance routines, memoirs, and the stories of those who knew him. Able to be performed in dozen of venues, George M. Cohan Tonight! opened Off-Broadway in 2006 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City. The original cast album is available from Sh-K-Boom Records/Ghostlight Records.

The New York Times hailed the show as "brash, cocky, and endlessly euphoric" (The New York Times, March 11, 2006).[ citation needed ] The show originally starred Jon Peterson, was directed by Chip Deffaa, with musical direction by Sterling Price-McKinney. The show earned star Jon Peterson a Drama Desk nomination, and author/director Chip Deffaa an IRNE Award (Independent Reviewers of New England). It is one of six different musicals about Cohan, created for different sized casts and audiences, created by Deffaa.

Productions

Since 2006, George M. Cohan Tonight! has toured the United States appearing in many regional theatre houses. Jon Peterson, Justin Boccitto, and David Herzog have all starred in productions of the show in the US, directed by Deffaa. George M. Cohan Tonight! made an Asian debut in South Korea in 2007. In August 2008, it made its European debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe starring David Herzog. Herzog is set to star in the show's British debut, opening September 21, 2010 at the New Players Theatre on the West End in London.

Musical Numbers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Alexander</span> American actor, comedian, director, television and podcast host

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, singer, host and director. A Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cassidy</span> American actor and musician (1950–2017)

David Bruce Cassidy was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge, in the 1970s musical-sitcom The Partridge Family. This role catapulted Cassidy to teen idol status as a superstar pop singer of the 1970s.

<i>Company</i> (musical) 1970 musical comedy

Company is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six. Company was among the first book musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage, and divorce, and is a notable example of a concept musical lacking a linear plot. In a series of vignettes, Company follows bachelor Bobby interacting with his married friends, who throw a party for his 35th birthday.

<i>On the Town</i> (musical) 1945 musical by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green

On the Town is a musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on Jerome Robbins' idea for his 1944 ballet Fancy Free, which he had set to Bernstein's music. The musical introduced several popular and classic songs, among them "New York, New York", "Lonely Town", "I Can Cook, Too", and "Some Other Time". The story concerns three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City during World War II, 1944. Each of the three sailors meets and quickly connects with a woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Cassidy</span> American actor, singer and director (1927–1976)

John Joseph Edward Cassidy, was an American actor, singer and theater director known for his work in the theater, television and films. He received multiple Tony Award nominations and a win, as well as a Grammy Award, for his work on the Broadway production of the musical She Loves Me. He also received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He was the father of teen idols David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Foy</span> 19th and 20th-century American actor

Edwin Fitzgerald, known professionally as Eddie Foy and Eddie Foy Sr., was an American actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian.

<i>Tick, Tick... Boom!</i> Musical by Jonathan Larson

Tick, Tick... Boom! is a musical by Jonathan Larson. It tells the story of an aspiring composer named Jon, who lives in New York City in 1990. Jon is worried he has made the wrong career choice to be part of the performing arts. The story is semi-autobiographical, as stated by Larson's father in the liner notes of the cast recording – Larson had been trying to establish himself in theater since the early 1980s.

<i>Forever Plaid</i> Off-Broadway musical revue

Forever Plaid is an Off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross, and first performed in New York in 1989 and now performed internationally.

<i>Little Johnny Jones</i>

Little Johnny Jones is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan.

<i>Bells Are Ringing</i> (musical)

Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service, and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering service. Three of the show's tunes, "Long Before I Knew You", "Just in Time", and "The Party's Over", became standards.

Chip Deffaa is an American author, playwright, jazz historian, songwriter, director, and producer of plays and recordings. For 18 years, he wrote for the New York Post, covering jazz, cabaret, and theater. He has contributed to Jazz Times, The Mississippi Rag, Down Beat, Cabaret Scenes, England's Crescendo, and Entertainment Weekly. He was born in New Rochelle, New York.

<i>George M!</i> Musical about George M. Cohan

George M! is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Francine Pascal. Music and lyrics were by George M. Cohan himself, with revisions for the musical by Cohan's daughter, Mary Cohan.

<i>Oh, Captain!</i> 1953 musical

Oh, Captain! is a musical comedy based on the 1953 film The Captain's Paradise with music and lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and the book by Al Morgan and José Ferrer. The basis of the musical was the 1953 film The Captain's Paradise, which had been written by Alec Coppel and Nicholas Phipps.

<i>The Seven Little Foys</i> 1955 film by Melville Shavelson

The Seven Little Foys is a Technicolor in VistaVision 1955 comedy film directed by Melville Shavelson starring Bob Hope as Eddie Foy. One highlight of the film is an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence with Bob Hope as Eddie Foy and James Cagney as George M. Cohan. The story of Eddie Foy Sr. and the Seven Little Foys inspired a TV version in 1964 and a stage musical version, which premiered in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sh-K-Boom Records</span> American independent record label

Sh-K-Boom Records is an independent record label and producer of recorded and live entertainment, which was founded in 2000 by Kurt Deutsch with the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater. In 2004 Sh-K-Boom created their second imprint, Ghostlight Records, dedicated to the preservation of traditional musical theater, spurred by the popular release of their first-ever show cast recording, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. Together the two labels have over 200 albums in their catalogues. The company has also produced over 50 live concerts as part of their Sh-K-Boom Room Concert Series, and are currently developing new and innovative projects for the stage and screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerard Alessandrini</span> American dramatist

Gerard Alessandrini is an American playwright, parodist, actor and theatre director best known for creating the award-winning off-Broadway musical theatre parody revue Forbidden Broadway. He is the recipient of Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, an Obie Award, four Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards, as well as the Drama League Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Brodway theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off Broadway theatre founded in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George M. Cohan</span> American actor, singer, composer and playwright (1878–1942)

George Michael Cohan was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer.

<i>Leave It to Jane</i> Musical by Jerome Kern, Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse

Leave It to Jane is a musical in two acts, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, based on the 1904 play The College Widow, by George Ade. The story concerns the football rivalry between Atwater College and Bingham College, and satirizes college life in a Midwestern U.S. town. A star halfback, Billy, forsakes his father's alma mater, Bingham, to play at Atwater, to be near the seductive Jane, the daughter of Atwater's president.

Sam Gold is an American theater director and actor. Having studied at Cornell University and Juilliard School he became known for directing both musicals and plays, on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He has received Tony Award and nominations for three Drama Desk Awards.

References