It is hard to imagine just how radical an idea breaking from royal control was in 1776.This play brings that reality home with some wit and dramatic tension. It is hard to tell part of the Revolutionary War story in musical theater form post-Hamilton. This play is, of course, a far more traditional piece in terms of musical style and with two brief notable exceptions (the songs Momma look sharp and Molasses to rum) keeps to a light comic take on how congress got to July 4 th and has not aged well with the much more impactful human stories of the Hamilton phenom.
Director Nick Bowling writes about the sparse set allowing for audiences to concentrate on the
ideas and infer historicity while the production ‘aims to capture the feeling in that room’. There
are nods to modernity with diverse casting of the ‘flawed humans’ but wigs and costumes
placed us firmly in 1776. His Director’s Note proudly states that his production was inspired with
a ‘focus on imagination, not preservation’ - not a particularly arresting idea for a fictional, staged
account of a couple of months of Congressional discussion. With only wooden furniture as the
set, mood was created by efficient lighting design by Jesse Klug. Hot summer white, moody
blues and hellish reds dominated – for both the British flag and the US flag-to-be, perhaps.
Richard R. Henry as Ben Franklin dominates the narrative with his large avuncular presence
and infectious bonhomie, directing the hotter-headed John Adams and younger dilettante
Thomas Jefferson to get down to work and get out of the way of their egos to write the
Declaration of Independence. The fondness between John and Abigail Adams is beautifully
rendered by Katherine Alexis Thomas though both she and Alicia Kaori as Martha Jefferson
have only dream-like brief appearances that seem too short to be anything more than token
quick nods to the sexual appetites of the Men behind the Politicians.
The only comic character who was genuinely funny, rather than heavy-handed light relief, was
Lucy Godinez as Henry Lee. She has a stage energy that captivates and fills the space, her silly
dance and over-emphasized puns were a perfect foil to the ‘annoying and unlikeable’ John
Adams, played fairly one-note by Tyrick Wiltez Jones. I enjoyed the choosing of the national
bird discussion and the stretched metaphor of congress laying an egg of a new nation.
My three stand-out performances, and beautifully directed moments, are when the courier, Jay
Westbrook, sings the heart-rending song Momma look sharp with such quiet intense sadness
that the scene transcends the whole play and is a stand-alone lament to the horrors of war;
Gabrielle Lott-Rogers’ Congressional Secretary’s stoic disdain for the selfish debate after
reading Washington’s letters from the front; and when Matthew Hommel leaves the popinjay
posturing of Edward Routledge to terrify us with his belting anthem of complicity and hypocrisy
Molasses and rum. Jefferson was suitably stand-out beautiful with his light blue silk frock coat
and auburn wig but the character does not evolve and his slave-owning is shamefully white-
washed with ‘I am resolved to free them’.
For me the play is unsatisfying and glib rather than a fun way into a complex and tense piece of
history. The music is forgettable and the pace uneven. The production, however, is well done.
Fine performances and good lighting bring the audience into intimate scenes and communicate
the heat and ennui of lengthy debate. The point is well made that this is the stuff of democracy
– it is largely tedious and needs compromise to work, but work it must, lest we be ruled by
tyrants.
1776 runs at the Marriott Theatre through October 13 th . Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.,
Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., with select
Thursday 1:00 p.m. shows. Ticket prices start at $63 (excluding tax and fees). Call for dinner-
theatre, student, senior, and military discounts. Free parking is available at all performances. To
reserve tickets, please call the Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or go
to www.tickets.marriotttheatre.com.
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