MOMMA LOOK SHARP!!! The legendary historical musical 1776 is heading back to the Great Bright Way next season. Under the direction of Tony winner Diane Paulus (Broadway's Hair, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Waitress, and Jagged Little Pill) and choreographed by Jeffrey L. Page, this new revival will feature a full company of Female, Nonbinary, Trans, & Genderqueer performers. Many of the cast have recently took part in a virtual ZOOM workshop earlier this past Spring and are all set to bring this classic show to life when Live Theater returns in 2021.
The cast will be led by….
Crystal Lucas-Perry (Off Broadway's A Bright Room Called Day), as "John Adams",
Tony Award nominee Elizabeth A. Davis (original "Reza" of Once the Musical) as "President Thomas Jefferson",
Patrena Murray (Off Broadway's Gloria) as "Benjamin Franklin",
Stage and Screen veteran Kerry O'Malley as "John Dickinson",
Sara Porkalob (The Dragon Cycle) as "Edward Rutledge",
Stage and Screen veteran Joanna Glushak as "Stephen Hopkins",
Eryn LeCroy (who was starring as the alternate "Christine Daae" in Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera before the shutdown) as "Martha Jefferson",
Shawna M. Hamic (Broadway's The Last Ship and the National Tour of Kinky Boots) as "Richard Henry Lee",
Allyson Kaye Daniel as "Abigail Adams",
Nancy Anderson (Broadway's Sunset Boulevard) as "George Read",
Allison Blackwell (Broadway's Pretty Woman: The Musical) as "Robert Livingston"
Tiffani Barbour (The National Tour of Mamma Mia!) as "Andrew McNair",
and more.
The new revival of 1776 was set to begin this past May 2020 for a Pre-Broadway run at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. However, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A
rescheduled date for the Cambridge run will be announced soon. The Broadway run is set to play Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre next Spring 2021. New dates for that run as well will be announced soon.
In case anyone may not know, 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the efforts of President John Adams persuading his colleagues to both vote for American independence and to sign the historical document we all know.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 a score by Sherman Edwards featuring some of the most iconic songs ever written for the stage including SIT DOWN JOHN, HE PLAYS THE VIOLIN, 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 running for a full total of 1,222 performances.
The original production was nominated for 5 Tony Awards winning only 3 including BEST MUSICAL.
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.
The 1997 revival was nominated for 3 Tony Awards including BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL in 1998. However, it lost all its categories.
Most recently, New York City Center Encores presented a concert staged production of the musical that was well received by critics back in 2016.
Along with its success on stage, 1776 was a smash hit on the big screen. The acclaimed movie musical version was released in 1972 from Columbia Pictures earning a Golden Globe nomination for BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY.
Who is excited for this new revival of 1776?!!
Diane Paulus will direct the classic musical on Broadway.
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