Jerome Kern Composer New York City, January 27, 1885; New York City, November 11, 1945. Musical theater in the United States wended its way from the burlesques of Weber and Fields, the Victor Herbert shows set in some far-off European country, the brashness of the George M. Cohan musicals, and the resplendent revues of the extravagant Ziegfeld. What was wanted next was a musical show with a strong story line as its base, with songs adding either to the plot or to the characters’ personalities…