1776: The Musical

​“On the face of it, few historical incidents seem more unlikely to spawn a Broadway musical than that solemn moment in the history of mankind, the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Yet 1776... most handsomely demonstrated that people who merely go 'on the face of it' are occasionally outrageously wrong.... [1776] is a most striking, most gripping musical. I recommend it without reservation. It makes even an Englishman's heart beat faster... the characters are most unusually full... for Mr. Stone's book is literate, urbane and, on occasion, very amusing.... William Daniels has given many persuasive performances in the past, but nothing, I think, can have been so effective as his John Adams here. This is a beautiful mixture of pride, ambition, an almost priggish sense of justice and yet – the saving grace of the character – an ironic self-awareness. “

Clive Barnes


In honor of the television premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” on Disney Plus, I thought it was high-time we revisit the first Broadway Musical to highlight the madcap misadventures of our founding fathers, 1776.With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, the show is based on the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Loads of laughs, right? Not so fast.

A musical based on such an historic event is not such a big deal in the Trump era. But, back in the day, there was more to personal freedom than whether it is unconstitutional to wear a face covering or storm your state capital with your AK-47. We believed that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As a society, we have chosen to believe in other things such as Q-Anon and evil pizza parlors.

But, I digress.

​Starring Mr. Feeny himself, William Daniels (John Adams), and with a supporting cast that includes, blacklisted actor Howard Da Silva (as Benjamin Franklin), The White Shadow himself Ken Howard (Thomas Jefferson) and featuring the very comely Blythe Danner (as Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother), it opened in 1969 to rave reviews and eventually won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Director, Actor and Actress and Best Celebrity offspring from a television actor. In 1998, Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek) was instrumental in reviving the project for Broadway and even managed to convince veteran actor Pat Hingle into playing Franklin himself. Again, allocates and awards followed, winning Tony’s coveted Best Revival.
 
“Perhaps not. But don’t forget that most men without property would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor. And that is why, they will follow us.”
 
In 1972, one-time studio chief and all-time asshole, Jack Warner decided to bring the historic musical to the silver screen with mixed results. Previewing the picture for another kindred asshole, President Richard M Nixon, the two conspired to cut one of the musical numbers that undercut the fabric of the entire play. A subsequent DVD and Blu-Ray release have returned the edited number and cuts to the motion picture and now you can see it as original Broadway and Film Director Peter Hunt had intended.   

​I enjoy this musical. So much so that I’ve performed in it twice. Once, at the award-winning drama school where I got my celebrated start in show business, James Madison High School. I performed in it once again in a Bicentennial production in 1976 with the Peanut Gallery Players. I’ve always considered 1776 to be an almost perfect blend of storytelling; historical drama, musical comedy, and, of course, badly done Benjamin Franklin wigs.