Three Women in 1776!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 11:58am

So, I saw a community theatre production of 1776 last night (always a risky prospect) and to my shock and bemusement they ADDED a third woman to the show!

During "Mama Look Sharp" the Courier's mother actually came running out onto the stage wearing a Besty Ross hat. She did a little pantomime in which she actually appeared to take the lyrics "Mama Look Sharp" to heart - she was down on her hands and knees looking - I guess she thought "sharp" was somewhere on the stage floor.

Finally, she rose triumphantly and she sang the rest of the song.

It was horrifying, but one of the most unintentionally hilarious things I've seen in the theatre in a long time!

And no - I'm not going to say where I saw the show - I don't believe in trying to get theatres in trouble - but I just had to share that just when you think you know the classics of the American Musical Theatre - you can always count on a surprise!

[EganFan2]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 12:05pm

Wow. Way to ruin a really poignant song. Did she lose her contact lens?

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 12:56pm

MB, was it risky because of the particular show, or that it was community theatre, or both!!

Your story gave me a laugh. Sounds like a "WTF" moment.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:02pm

Oh, that's hilarious! Wow. :-P

[Jon]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:03pm

I once saw a high school production of West Side Story that took the two-line, offstage voice character of "Maria's Mother" and brought her onstage - with a big monologue in Act 2 about how her son had been killed, and how worried she was about Maria...

It seems the director's pet actress - who won all the state speech competitions - could not sing or dance, and they needed to greate a character for her.

[Chanticleer148]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:09pm

1776 is a great show. Yoo bad they ruined it.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:12pm

So, Jon, how was that production or that particular scene?

[Jon]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:15pm

It was a good production otherwise - and really, would Maria's mother even be able to speak English?

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:22pm

That's... so... very strange.

They were hell-bent on getting an extra female role in the show.

So she sang, "Now close your eyes, my Billy..."

Wow.

I guess it's better than seeing "Roberta Henry Lee" from Virginia.

...but not by much.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:33pm

I believe they interpreted the lyrics to mean "Mama look [for a] sharp [object]." Perhaps a glass had fallen to the floor and broken and Mama need to find and pick up the sharp pieces. This is actually a common interpretation of the song.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:39pm

I always thought Joan Crawford knew how to look "sharp" for something. Ouch!

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 1:52pm

What the HELL?

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 2:01pm

It's true that Maria's mother didn't know English when she first immigrated, but actually, in earlier versions of the West Side Story book, she had been studying at a nearby Berlitz school. The block the school was on, however, had fallen into the hands and the rival gang and become part of their "territory" so she had to stop. This was one of the reasons tensions were so high between the rival gangs.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 2:12pm

Ahh the "joys" of Community and High School Theatre.

Lets not even get into Children's Theatre!

[folkyboy]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 3:07pm

i thought this was going to talk about the production of 1776 i saw recently. during "Mama Look Sharp" i could hear this loud contraption in the wings interrupting the beautiful song and distracting me from the moment.

i have to say your's wins though. talk about funny!

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 3:19pm

It's really funny that I found this thread at this particular moment - I'm on my way to see that very same production of 1776. I don't know why they would do that, but I have heard that the voices in the show are quite good. I guess I'll know in a couple of hours!

[WalkOn]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 4:15pm

Well... I wish I'd seen it! I love a good chuckle.

[Calvin]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 5:17pm

Ahh the "joys" of Community and High School Theatre.

Lets not even get into Children's Theatre!

So true. No one but pros should ever be allowed to do theatre. Everyone else should just stick to accounting or garbage-collecting or pastry-making or whatever.

[elmore3003]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 6:34pm

The appearance of Miz Pickett was discussed on the Cast Recording List last month, and here's the information from musical director Bill cox:

Just for information: Miz Pickett is mentioned in the published and rental scripts of 1776. Just before he sings "Mama Look Sharp" The courier says: " Miz Pickett, she looked near half the night f'r Will'm cuz he'd gone 'n' crawled off the green 'fore he died." While the show first was trying, out there was a scene in a barn when Adams, Chase and Franklin went to New Brunswick. The song took place there. And the mother did sing part of the song to the died boy. Both the scene and the actress where cut from the show. However, the piano conductor part was never corrected, so when you rent the show materials the P/C indicates that the mother sings the bridge.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 7:39pm

Community theater. The words strike panic into my very soul. Never again, will I even go to see community theater. I'd rather see I Remember Momma again.

Okay, hjere's a confession. Actually, I had typed "I'd rather see Wicked again" but in the interest of letting sleeping dogs lie, I'm trying to wean myself from making snide remarks about The W Show because of all the loyal fans I share this forum with (uh, but of course, I just made one. Hummmm.. Gotta work on that...)

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 7:51pm

I think some forward-thinking community theatre ought to UPDATE this story.

I mean it's relevant TODAY. It doesn't have to be a period piece, right?

Let's set the whole thing in 2006 and see what happens...

[EganFan2]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 11:08pm

I think it's possible to have good community theater. The only "bad" CT show I saw was "Epic Proportions" and that's because the show itself was crap.