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"1776": indecisive, raucous, witty, romantic, resolute, inspiring!
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Concept for Broadway musical: the story of how the Declaration of Independence came to be written and signed by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in July 1776 . . .Oh, yeah, there’s that painting of all the guys wearing powdered wigs, waistcoats, and breeches signing the Declaration—all looking as stiff as boards and completely confident and self-satisfied. Not exactly ‘musical’ material, is it? (Photo, right: Adams [Richard B. Watson] and Martha Jefferson [Katie Wexler] Courtesy of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival)
The members of the Continental Congress in 1776 couldn’t even decide whether to pay a man $20.00 for the loss of a mule that died carrying their luggage and couldn’t even agree on whether to open the windows of Independence Hall to catch a breeze or close them to keep the flies out. The doggedly determined, but unpopular John Adams (Richard B. Watson) struggles to get them to consider a resolution for independence. Adams, along with Benjamin Franklin (Richard Pruitt), Thomas Jefferson (Spencer Plachy) and Richard Henry Lee (Christopher Vettel) work hard to get this indecisive, anxious, grouchy, hot bunch of disparate, colorful characters from the 13 original colonies to consider the possibility of a United States of America.
In this production at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the journey to the moment the Declaration is signed is raucous, bawdy, witty, stirring, romantic, contentious, and ultimately inspiring—there’s even a physical fight along the way. The music and lyrics are seamlessly woven into the story. Each song is a perfect expression of the character and situation from the Congress members’ caustic “Sit Down, John” to John and Abigail (Edwardyne Cowan) Adams richly transcendent duet “Till Then” to the heart-wrenching “Momma, Look Sharp” sung by Jonathan Mulhearn. There’s even a marvelous dance for Adams and Martha Jefferson (Katie Wexler) during “He Plays the Violin”.
As the members struggle with their own considerations and the peculiar concerns of their own colony about a possible break with the King and England, the audience realizes that these men were putting their lives, the welfare of their families and everything they owned on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence. John Dickinson (Ezra Barnes) of Pennsylvania has the unpopular position of being Adam’s chief rival, but when Dickinson finds that he cannot “in conscience” sign the Declaration, he leaves to join the Continental Army to defend America. In a magnificent moment, Adams and
Dickinson share a mutual nod of respect and then Adams calls for a salute to Dickinson.
This congress may not be able to decide about those windows but they can all sing and the range and scope of their voices is wonderfully amazing. And when the women, Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson, sing—they make the audience wish for more—just like the men.
Richard B. Watson as Adams is the white-hot, driving spirit of the play ably assisted by Richard Pruitt as a wise and witty Benjamin Franklin and Spencer Plachy as the quiet but resolute Thomas Jefferson.
This is a sharp, funny, perfectly calibrated production of “1776”. No one who has seen this production will ever entertain the thought that the signers in the painting—a tableaux of which concludes “1776”—were confident and self-satisfied. They struggled for the courage and resolve to do what had never been done before---declare their own independence and found a new country.
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Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
June 17 to July 5, 2009
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