The Rep’s Inside Scoop - 1776


Show Synopsis

With the historic figure of John Adams as the protagonist, this Tony Award–winning musical tells the story of the legendary fight to convince the Second Continental Congress to adopt a resolution calling for America’s independence from King George.


A musical telling of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in “foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia” in 1776.



The Rep’s Production

April 30–May 1, May 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 2010



Production History

1776 opened on Broadway on March 16, 1969 following tryouts in both New Haven and Washington.  Staged at New York’s 46th Street Theatre (now known as the Richard Rogers Theatre) the show ran through February 13, 1972 following 1,217 performances.  During it’s three year run in New York, the show moved twice - to the St. James Theatre in late 1970 and then to the Majestic Theatre in April of 1971.


The original production was directed by Peter Hunt.  Active on Broadway for more than thirty five years beginning in the early 1960s, Hunt also directed The Scarlet Pimpernel on Broadway and is the uncle of actress Helen Hunt.


The original production featured a large cast with a wealth of stage, film and television credits including William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Clifford David, Betty Buckley and Virginia Vestoff.


Unusually for a Broadway musical, the show was developed by the same creative team into a film in 1972 with many of the original stage cast moving in their roles to the movie.


1776 was revived on Broadway during the summer of 1997 with a cast that included Brent Spiner (Commander Data in the Star Trek - The Next Generation television series) in the role of John Adams.



Critical Acclaim

  1. • Tony Award for Best Musical – 1969

  2. • Theatre World Award - 1969

  3. • Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Book - 1969



The Authors

The original concept for what became 1776 belonged to songwriter Sherman Edwards, a New York City native born in 1919.  Following service in the U.S. military during World War II, Edwards worked as a pianist for several swing bands in the New York area before moving to songwriting for pop artists that included Eddie Fisher, Elvis Presley and Johnny Mathis.


At the suggestion of Stuart Ostrow - who would later produce the original production of 1776 - Edwards teamed with writer Peter Stone to develop the book for the musical.  Stone’s other writing credits for stage work include Two By Two,  My One And Only, The Will Rogers Follies, Woman Of The Year and Curtains and he achieved a rare “trifecta” for the American entertainment industry winning several Tony awards (including for 1776), an Emmy and an Oscar.


For additional information about “1776”, check out the Guthrie Theater’s study guide:


http://www.guthrietheater.org/sites/default/files/studyguide_1776.pdf



Bibliography

www.1776themusical.us

www.wikipedia.org

www.ibdb.com

www.americantheatrewing.org



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Ken Howard, Howard Da Silva and William Daniels

The Richard Rogers Theatre

Songwriter Sherman Edwards

Author Peter Stone