1776
1776
1776#1
Posted: 2/18/09 at 8:08pm
hey everyone
I'm debating on making the trip to Jersey to see 1776 at Papermill Playhouse
I know the story enough obviously, but I am not familiar with the music or book. Can anyone give me incite or what they LIKE or DISlike about the show?
thanks
also do you recommend me watching the movie on Netflix 1st?
re: 1776#2
Posted: 2/18/09 at 8:10pm
I have never seen a production of this but I really want to! and you may "know" the story enough.... but you really don't
I would say def go see it! LOVE the music! What I like? I like the music, a lot! Def. make a trip to see it! and I'd wait til after you see it to watch the movie
re: 1776#2
Posted: 2/18/09 at 8:29pm
The book is pretty fantastic, though it can drag if not performed by a stellar cast. It's pretty amazing how Peter Stone manages to keep you on the edge of your seat even though you know the declaration will get signed by the end of the show. He still manages to create tension. It's pretty crazy. He did the same thing with Titanic.
The score is also pretty solid. There aren't any songs that would really stand alone in a concert or something because they're all very specific to the plot, but the melodies range from just beautiful as with "Momma, Look Sharp" to strangely frightening -- "Molasses to Run" and sometimes just silly Yankee Doodle type Americana as with "The Lees of Old Virginia". It's a fun score that compliments the book very nicely.
Updated On: 2/18/09 at 08:29 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 2/21/06
re: 1776#4
Posted: 2/18/09 at 10:57pm
Teh love song between John Adams and Abigail Adams is one of teh best Broadway love songs ever. And I'm partial to "The Lees of Old Virginia" but maybe that's because I have Lee blood.
Adams is the domiannt character, but you'll gain a lot of insight into even some of the "minor" Founders, such as Judge Joseph Wilson of Pennsylvania, who could have killed independence single-handedly, as you will see at one of teh show's dramatic moments.
"New York abstains, courteously."
re: 1776#5
Posted: 2/19/09 at 1:14amI was rehearsing a show at Chelsea Studios a couple weeks ago while they were holding auditions in the studio next door to us. I heard a number of fantastic voices belting out "He Plays the Violin" as well as a few really strong renditions of "Molasses to Rum." I would say it is definitely worth a trip out to Papermill to see it.
re: 1776#6
Posted: 2/19/09 at 2:11amActualy, rent the movie, it's a brilliantly done version of the show, and the DVD has all the songs intact. It'll give you a good idea of what to expect.
re: 1776#7
Posted: 2/19/09 at 2:12am
This show, even with some of the worst lyrics imaginable (and that's not me, the critics held their noses and loved the show anyway) is a triumph of making a musical out of what seemed boring history (although, as the creators proved, it was actually utterly fascinating.) I have seen and enjoyed public school productions of this brilliant work. It is powerful, moving, at times hilarious but always inspirational.
And still the lyrics are lousy.
Doesn't matter.
re: 1776#8
Posted: 2/19/09 at 2:42amI think the critics of the day would have lauded the lyrics in 1776 had they been able to compare them to some of today's biggest blockbusters.
re: 1776#9
Posted: 2/19/09 at 3:05amcompared to Les iz or Miss Sagon, it's Tolstoy, but so are the lyrics from Mad Magazine.
re: 1776#10
Posted: 2/19/09 at 12:28pmI love everything about the show and consider it to be one of Broadway's most perfect musicals (I don't have a problem with most of the lyrics), BUT it does depend on the direction. The show can easily come off cold and sluggish.
re: 1776#11
Posted: 2/22/09 at 3:18pm
Looks like Kerry O'Malley will be playing Abigail Adams, and Lauren Kennedy will be Martha Jefferson.
re: 1776#12
Posted: 2/22/09 at 3:29pm
1776 is hands down one of the best books for any musical ever, and there are MANY people who agree with that assessment. As someone said, it's amazing that Peter Stone took something that everyone knows the outcome of, and actually made the tension palpable to the point that you're not sure if they're going to get the Declaration signed in time. The songs are very strong as well. Most of it can't be taken out of context (except maybe "He Plays the Violin," "Momma, Look Sharp" and, with understanding of what it is, "Molasses to Rum.")
I'm hoping I can go see it myself...
re: 1776#13
Posted: 2/22/09 at 4:49pmI too love the show- although it took some time to grow on me. I didn't even know Papermill was doing it. I'll have to check it ouy.
re: 1776#14
Posted: 2/23/09 at 3:35am
"Looks like Kerry O'Malley will be playing Abigail Adams, and Lauren Kennedy will be Martha Jefferson."
It looks like a great cast besides these two. And I've never been at the Papermill, so it will be a treat 
Looks like a trip is in the works for this one.
re: 1776#15
Posted: 2/23/09 at 4:40am
I love the show, but some of the history it presents is pretty conjectural, for example, the Judge Wilson bit already mentioned.
And the portrait of John Dickinson is at least somewhat at odds with the reality of the man.
But it's a great show.
Broadway Star Joined: 2/21/07
re: 1776#16
Posted: 2/23/09 at 10:20amJust wanted to voice an opinion: While the movie is notable for preserving a large percentage of original cast members, and thus giving us a good "feel" for what the Broadway show must have been like, it is not a good MOVIE in cinematic terms.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: 1776#17
Posted: 2/23/09 at 11:03amI'm curious what lyrics in particular are some of the "worst imaginable." I've always enjoyed the wordplay- "Life is more/then sexual/combustibility!" in particular....
re: 1776#18
Posted: 2/23/09 at 11:18am
There is nothing wrong with the lyrics for 1776...they capture exactly how those characters would speak.
Lyrics have to do more than just reveal character and advance the plot. They have to do these things, yes, but the voice of the character(s.)
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
re: 1776#19
Posted: 2/23/09 at 3:20pm
I love the show. Always wished the writer/composer would have done something else.
I never found the lyrics to be noticeably lacking. Especially 'The Egg' and 'Molasses To Rum'.
re: 1776#20
Posted: 2/23/09 at 5:14pm
I do find the lyrics problematic at times, though I'm not too bothered by them. There are some pretty questionable rhymes and lots of misaccenting, which Sherman Edwards's son has said was intentional. The word-setting is often very awkward.
I sometimes wonder if I'd be more bothered if I hadn't grown up with score, since the show opened when I was 11, I got the cast album the week it was released, and saw the show a couple of months later so it's a pretty basic part of my consciousness.
OTOH, the show does have a unique style and sound, both musically and lyrically, which is neat.
Stand-by Joined: 11/6/03
re: 1776#21
Posted: 2/23/09 at 5:17pmAny idea who will play John Adams? I have not seen that info anywhere.
re: 1776#22
Posted: 2/23/09 at 6:57pm
Virginia abstains.
Worth it for that line alone.
Broadway Mouth: Casting Celebrations 1: The Smartest Person on Broadway
re: 1776#23
Posted: 2/23/09 at 7:32pmUgh, I wish I could see this!!!!!!!!!!!!
re: 1776#24
Posted: 2/23/09 at 8:10pm
I'd love to see this! 1776 has long been one of my favorite musicals. I pretty much agree with what's already been said.
"I'm obnoxious and disliked, did you know that"
"I hadn't heard"
Time to put this in the player!
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