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Statue, History and Grand Entertainment At Goodspeed

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Statue, History and Grand Entertainment At Goodspeed

By Julie Stern

EAST HADDAM — Born into the impoverished world of itinerant vaudeville performers, George M. Cohan was driven not only by his love of the theater, but also by his desire to provide for his family – his parents, Jerry and Nellie, and his older sister, Josie. An accomplished song and dance man at age 14, George vowed he would write and star in his own plays, as well as own his own theater and publishing house.

By the time he was 35, the man who would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt for having given the country the songs “Grand Old Flag” and “Over There” (as well as “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Give My Regards to Broadway”) had achieved all his goals.

“The Four Cohans” left Vaudeville and achieved Broadway stardom in musicals with names like Little Johnny Jones and Little Nellie Kelly. By the time each one opened, the boy wonder was already planning his next show. Altogether he wrote and produced over fifty of them, was hailed as the Father of the American Musical, and is the only entertainment figure to have his statue in New York’s Theater district.

So much for the heroic bio. George Michael Cohan was also a stubborn, conceited, insufferable egotist who listened to nobody, irritated the people he worked with and rode roughshod over those who cared about him. Driven by a vision of his own glory he could neither take advice nor change his ways to adapt to changing times.

All of this is most effectively captured in the spirited theatrical piece George M., now at Goodspeed Opera House. Using Cohan’s own music, with some additional lyrics and revisions by his daughter, Mary Cohan, authors Michael Steward and John and Francine Pascal have made a musical out of Cohan’s life that both celebrates his talent and drive, but also portrays his brash and abrasive character.

Beginning with his birth in Providence, on July 3, 1878, the play traces his meteoric rise to fame, his failed marriage to the comedienne Ethel Levey, and his successful one to the novice performer in Forty-Five Minutes to Broadway, Agnes Nolan. And, as meteors burn out, it leaves him puzzling over the quandary of his name and reputation being eclipsed by upstarts like Irving Berlin and Lorenz Hart.

All of this is accomplished with panache by the star of the show, John Scherer. Looking like a youthful Jimmy Cagney, Mr Scherer radiates joy in his craft and a belief in himself as he sings and dances with manic energy. And as in all Goodspeed productions he is backed up by a solid cast including a very accomplished chorus, whose members also get to play any number of bit parts as well as do their musical routines.

Frank Root, Dorothy Stanley and Liz Pearce are the family Cohan cares so much about — the only people he truly cares for until he meets Agnes, who is wise enough to handle him. She is well played by Tia Speros, and Jennifer Smith is Ethel Levey, who wanted more from her husband than he was able or willing to give.

The biggest attraction of the show is, our course, the songs. They are part of the essence of America, and it is impossible to hear them without your heart forming a lump and your feet starting to move. As with many artists, it’s not who he was, but what he gave that makes George M. Cohan deserve that statue and that place in history. That’s also what makes George M. a delightful piece of entertainment.

(Performances run through October 7. Contact Goodspeed Opera House at 860/873-8664 for ticket and showtime information.)

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