The life and times of legendary showman George M. Cohan explode into the 21st century in this musical. Set against the colourful backdrop of "old Broadway,” Yankee Doodle Dandy! is the story of a of a brash, and rebellious kid who grabbed the American Dream and almost single-handedly invented the Broadway musical. From the hard-knock days of his family's adventures on the vaudeville circuit to his reign as the star-spangled "King of Broadway," Cohan's life was a roller coaster ride of professional highs, lows, personal triumphs and heartbreak...

With classic songs including 'Give My Regards to Broadway,' 'You're a Grand Old Flag,' 'Harrigan,' and new songs inspired by unfinished Cohan melodies, Yankee Doodle Dandy! presents a fresh, contemporary view of a musical theater icon who has influenced every musical on Broadway today.

If you're a true lover of musical theatre, then the story and songs behind Yankee Doodle Dandy! will be one you're already well familiar with, thanks to the 1942 musical film, where the majority of these songs come from. However, to bring it up to date, and round out the production for musical theatre, Albert Evans has added a number of additional songs. And, to be fair, they carry on in much the same vein - sounding a little old, rather forgettable, and a bit tired. But then that pretty much sums up the original songs too.

If you were a fan of the James Cagney vehicle, then there is plenty to delight you here. And while the story is interesting (something which isn't really communicated in the songs), the music and lyrics are just a little too stuffy to attract a new generation of musical theatre fans.

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Daisy May