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Hershey Felder Brings One-Man Show On Irving Berlin To Chicago

(CBS) -- A popular performer is back in Chicago, with his latest one-man show, reports WBBM's Regine Schlesinger.

Playwright, pianist and singer Hershey Felder has chronicled the lives and careers of some of the greatest composers but says he resisted doing Irving Berlin until he began doing some research.

"Boy I didn't realize what a genius this man was," Felder said. "He was the American Mozart."

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Felder says with over 200 top ten hits and 25 number one songs and over 1,500 published songs, Irving Berlin didn't just contribute to the great American songbook, he was the great American songbook.

"He didn't have a real musical education but he had something even more relevant and important, he had an ear," he said. "His ear was, I would venture to say, perfect."

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin runs through December 6 at the Royal George Theatre.

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