SIT DOWN and listen to this!!! It has just been announced that American Repertory Theater and Roundabout Theatre Company have joined forces for an upcoming Broadway revival of the Award winning historical musical 1776.
Under the direction of Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Broadway's Hair, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess on Broadway, and Waitress the Musical), this new production will have its world premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the Spring of 2020. From there, it will make its way to Los Angeles, California playing the Ahmanson Theatre in the Summer of 2020, and will then officially hit our Broadway backyard at American Airlines Theatre in the Spring of 2021. No official start dates, additional creative team, or casting has been announced.
1776 is a musical adaptation inspired by the real historical events surrounding the day that America signed the Declaration of Independence. It dramatizes the efforts of President John Adams persuading his colleagues to both vote for American independence and to sign the historical document we all know. It features a book by Peter Stone and an score by Sherman Edwards featuring some of the most iconic songs ever written for the stage including SIT DOWN JOHN, HE PLAYS THE VIOLIN, MAMA LOOK SHARP, IS ANYBODY THERE, and more.
The show originally premiered on Broadway in 1969 playing the 46th Street Theatre (now known as the Richard Rodgers Theatre) before later transferring to both the St, James Theatre and then the Majestic Theatre. It ran for a complete total of for 1,222 performances . Under the direction of Peter Hunt, the cast featured…
William Daniels (later John Cunningham) as "John Adams",
Howard daSilva (later Jay Garner) as "Benjamin Franklin"
Paul Hecht (later David Ford and George Hearn) as "John Dickinson",
Clifford David (later David Cryer, John Cullum, and Gary Beach) as "Edward Rutledge",
Roy Poole (later Truman Gaige and Edmund Lyndeck) as "Stephen Hopkins",
Ken Howard (later John Fink, Jon Cypher, Peter Lombard, and Brian Foley) as "Thomas Jefferson",
Betty Buckley (later Mary Bracken Phillips and Pamela Hall) as "Martha Jefferson",
Ron Holgate (later Gary Oakes) as "Richard Henry Lee",
Virginia Vestoff (later Ellen Hanley) as "Abigail Adams"
and more.
The original production was nominated for 5 Tony Awards winning 3 for Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (for Ron Holgate) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (for Ellen Hanley).
Following the success of its original production, 1776 went on to become a worldwide hit including productions on tour across America, in London, and in Australia.
The show was last revived on Broadway in 1997 also produced by Roundabout Theatre Company. The production started off at The Criterion Center and then transferred commercially to Broadway's Gershwin Theatre running for a full total of 367 performances. Under the direction of Scott Ellis, this cast featured…
Brent Spiner as "John Adams",
Pat Hingle as "Benjamin Franklin",
Michael Cumpsty as "John Dickinson",
Gregg Edelman as "Edward Rutledge",
Tom Aldredge as "Stephen Hopkins",
Paul Michael Valley as "Thomas Jefferson",
Lauren Ward as "Martha Jefferson",
Merwin Foard as "Richard Henry Lee",
Linda Emond as "Abigail Adams",
and more.
The production was nominated for 3 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical in 1998. However, it lost both its catagories.
Most recently in 2016, a concert staged production of 1776 was performed at New York City Center as part of its ENCORES series. This production was well known for having a full diverse cast play these iconic historical figures. Under the direction of Garry Hynes, this cast featured…
Santino Fontana as "John Adams",
John Larroquette as "Benjamin Franklin",
Bryce Pinkham as "John Dickinson",
Alexander Gemignani as "Edward Rutledge",
Andr? Robin De Shields as "Stephen Hopkins",
John Behlmann as "Thomas Jefferson",
Nikki Renee Daniels as "Martha Jefferson",
Jubilant Sykes as "Richard Henry Lee",
Christiane Noll as "Abigail Adams".
,
and more.
In addition to its success on stage, 1776 was a smash on the big screen. The film version was released from Columbia Pictures in 1972. Under the direction of Peter Hunt, the cast featured veterans from the stage version as well as newbies including…
William Daniels reprising his stage role of "John Adams",
Howard Da Silva reprising his stage role of "Benjamin Franklin",
Donald Madden as "John Dickinson",
John Cullum reprising his stage role of "Edward Rutledge",
Roy Poole reprising his stage role of "Stephen Hopkins",
Ken Howard reprising his stage role of "Thomas Jefferson",
Blythe Danner as "Martha Jefferson",
Ron Holgate reprising his stage role of "Richard Henry Lee",
Virginia Vestoff reprising her stage role of "Abigail Adams",
and more.
The film was nominated for The Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy but lost to another movie musical favorite Cabaret the Musical.
1776 is still a popular musical being performed in schools, community, and regional theaters everywhere.
Who is excited for this iconic show returning to Broadway?
1776 Sets a Broadway Revival for 2021 | TheaterMania
Diane Paulus will direct the A.R.T. coproduction with Roundabout Theatre Company.
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