Bradley Nies, Playwright

  In September of 1918, Irving Berlin's bizarre musical, Yip! Yip! Yaphank!, opened on Broadway. It featured a cast of 350 actual soldiers that sang, danced, dressed as chorus girls, and tried to convince audiences that the life of a soldier was not so bad. A report issued on September 11th of that year applauded the show, and Berlin himself sang the featured song, "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." Berlin's classic, "God Bless America," was originally written for the production, but Berlin removed it. That song did not surface again until 1938, when Kate Smith introduced it to her radio audiences. Sources Don's American Songbook. "Irving Berlin's Musical Yip, Yip, Yaphank! Premieres in 1918." 2020. www.facebook.com/DonsAmericanSongbook. Accessed 12 September 2026. Sears, Benjamin. "American Classics: Yip! Yip! Yaphank!" 2010.  www.americanclassics.benandbrad.com. Accessed 12 September 2026. The Longwood Alliance. "Do...