![]() The awful orchestrations by John Clancy warp the propulsive, 18th-century soundscape into formless, loud, contemporary pop, sung mostly by sopranos and altos who are an awkward fit performing them. Davis), Franklin (Patrena Murray) and Adams (Crystal Lucas-Perry) sing “The Egg,” about their hatchling nation. And “The Egg,” crooned by our leading trio as their Declaration draft is being read aloud for the first time, is one of the most rousing tunes in all musical theater. So should “Sit Down, John,” in which irritated, overheated delegates try to get Adams to shut his trap. The number “Cool, Cool Considerate Men,” sung by staunch conservatives, should blow you out of your seat. He wrote sublime music for tenors, baritones and basses. The tale is perked up by Sherman Edwards’ sprightly score, which has been mangled beyond recognition here. Davis) convincing men to join their plight, and then gets serious as they decide whether or not to address slavery in the Declaration. Early on, the show bops along like a sophisticated buddy comedy with Adams, Franklin (Patrena Murray) and Jefferson (Elizabeth A. “1776” imagines the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia as ornery Bostonian John Adams (Crystal Lucas-Perry, not commanding enough) attempts to convince his fellow delegates to debate and pursue independence from dastardly Great Britain. John Adams (Crystal Lucas-Perry) is not the most popular person at the Second Continental Congress in “1776.” Joan Marcus Yet it needlessly harms the core aspects of the show at every turn. Not every directorial decision has to have logic, but Paulus and Page’s casting stunt is not powerfully evocative either, other than contributing a “take that, you classic musical!” ‘tude. Instead, the story is bogged down by cartoony, dishonest impressions of dudes and lame attempts to jam in additional meaning by giving condescending glances to the audience. “1776,” however, is an old show - a proudly straightforward musical that should caper about the stage until hard-hitting issues like slavery enter in Act 2 - and heavy-handed revisionism does not suit it. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” of course, brilliantly reframed Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and others as people of color, with rap as their lingua franca, in part to make the point that Hamilton and Co. ![]() That’s a fine idea for a whole new show with a different angle. Page have taken “1776,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical over “Hair,” and cast women, transgender and nonbinary actors as the Founding Fathers. The writer’s jokes and taut scenes still play, but only barely.Ĭo-directors Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Two hours and 40 minutes with one intermission.
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