James A. Rocco was lying on a beach in Cancun talking with friends about the origins of musical theater when it came to him that George M. Cohan, the man who wrote more than 500 songs and jump-started the American musical into being, was not getting his due. So Rocco went to work and, with David Armstrong, co-wrote a musical. Between workshops and rewrites, the process stretched over several years, and the resulting Yankee Doodle Dandy is currently being mounted by Theatre Under the Stars. During the musical, several people play Cohan as they dance and sing through his better-known songs, such as “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Over There” and, of course, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” 8:15 p.m. daily. Through July 22. Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive.
July 17-22, 8:15 p.m., 2012
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2012.
