Courted Into Court

Courted Into Court is a 1896 play by John J. McNally.

It was produced by Charles T. Rich and William Harris for a 140 performance run at the Bijou Theatre on Broadway starting on December 29, 1896.

[1][2] Prior to its Broadway debut, it played first on any stage in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 4, 1896,[3][4][5] and then moved to Kansas City.

[7] Star May Irwin sang and helped popularize (the now notorious example) coon song "All Coons Look Alike to Me" by Ernest Hogan in the play, which had an all-white cast.

[8] She also sang the coon song, "Mr. Johnson, Turn Me Loose" in the play, a song later remembered in all of Irwin's major obituaries.

The cover of sheet music featuring Irwin's coon songs used in this play.