1776- Page 4

[broadfan327]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:44pm

I saw the show Sunday night. I had never seen a production of 1776 before. I did not enjoy the show that much. (Perhaps my rear mezzanine seat hindered my enjoyment). I did not realize how book heavy it is. The performances were fine, and James Barbour's song was excellent. Otherwise, I was bored by the subject material, and the score I did not particularly like.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:48pm

I think I might make this into a day trip. Cheap rush, and it's not THAT far.

So basically I'd take the Path train out to NJ, right? And then just walk to the theater? And the Path is pretty affordable right?

[broadfan327]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:59pm

You have to take NJ Transit to Millburn, not PATH. PATH will get you to Newark only.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 11:34am

Gotcha. Well, I read the website and there is a NJ Transit at Penn Station that will take me to Milburn, right?

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:31pm

Yes, and the Papermill is a very short walk from the Millburn station.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 12:32pm

For people coming from Manhattan, see a Thursday, Saturday or Sunday matinee. Trust me on this.

There is cast talkback after May 16 matinee.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:14pm

The talent that Papermill has assembled for their production is absolutely incredible! The cast is really superb, the orchestra was great and all of the technical aspects were very well done. As I stated before, 1776 is not one of my favourite musicals, I don't even really view it so much as a musical as a play with music. Most of the musical numbers don't further the plot in a driving way and because you are dealing with so many characters it is hard to really feel for most if not any of them. 1776 is an interesting show because while sitting there watching it I found myself thinking that if it were workshopped again the problems could be easily fixed. Sherman Edwards music is okay but he really fails with his lyrics which I found to be nonsensical and repetitive. It's strong suit is it's book by Peter Stone which is full of great text that any actor would be happy to tackle.

Don Stephenson does a great job with John Adams! However, his character choice (at least I hope it was a character choice) of making him nasal became rather annoying especially during his singing. I still don't really get the appeal of Kerry O'Malley. Vocally she was adequate and I found her rather dull and boring(sorry kids!). Conrad John Schuck did a brilliant job with Benjamin Franklin. Bobby Cuccioli was fine as John Dickinson as was Aaron Ramey as Richard Henry Lee and Kevin Early as Thomas Jefferson. While his song garnered the most applause, James Barbour was a bit too "stagey" for me. He has a beautiful voice but he was a bit over the top for my taste and it didn't fit in with the rest of the performances. And thank god for Lauren Kennedy's Martha Jefferson!!! She was a radiant breath of fresh air in the first act. While I find it a very interesting choice to cast a black man as The Courier, I'm not sure I agree with it but it definitely adds an interesting underlying statement especially with the focus on slavery in the second act and there is no denying that "Momma, Look Sharp" is one of if not the best song in the show and Griffin Matthews sang it beautifully. While there are too many to mention, all of the other players really did a great job and should be commended!

All that being said, if you get a chance go see it. It is a beautiful piece to watch. The second act is much, much stronger than the first which just runs too long.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 2:27pm

I saw the Sat. matinee and thought it was terrific. Great cast and wonderful set. I had a few minor quibbles with certain things (I didn't care for both women belting like crazy, etc.), but overall it was a very solid, highly moving production.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/20/09 at 4:46pm

Here is the first review I found:

http://www.theatermania.com/new-jersey/reviews/04-2009/1776_18684.html

Similar comments to what I said about Stephenson being whiny.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 2:01am

Why a matinee? Because of the ride back?

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 2:14am

Ew, Kerry O'Malley belts as Abigail? Ugh, no. No. Please don't ruin Abigail with belting.

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 4:59am

Conrad John Schuck did a brilliant job with Benjamin Franklin

Ah, this makes me glad!

He's such a wonderful actor, and also quite nice too.

Can't wait to see this show.

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 8:04am

Another positive review:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940081.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 9:38am

Yet another good review, this time from Peter Filichia:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2009/04/despite_production_flaws_1776.html

[amoni]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 3:54pm

" 1776 is an interesting show because while sitting there watching it I found myself thinking that if it were workshopped again the problems could be easily fixed. Sherman Edwards music is okay but he really fails with his lyrics which I found to be nonsensical and repetitive."

Gee, I can't decide if you're obnoxious as John Adam or just an out of control ego as Richard Henry Lee to think "1776" needs fixing. It doesn't. Oh and I found out about those two men's personality traits from two of the completely brilliant songs in the show. Not a wasteful or throw away in the bunch.

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 4:35pm

Why a matinee? Because of the ride back?
Yep, because of the train schedule. Sunday night show is okay too.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/21/09 at 5:43pm

1776 is not one of my favourite musicals, I don't even really view it so much as a musical as a play with music. Most of the musical numbers don't further the plot in a driving way ... while sitting there watching it I found myself thinking that if it were workshopped again the problems could be easily fixed. Sherman Edwards music is okay but he really fails with his lyrics which I found to be nonsensical and repetitive.

Wow. When this show was written 40(!) years go the authors were writing for a very different audience. One that was a) Older, b) better educated and c) reared on Rodgers and Hammerstein shows.

With R&H you find most of the songs illustrate a point already established in dialogue or at least the first line of the song. ("I'm Just a Girl who can't say No...", "June is Bustin' Out all Over...", "The Hills are Alive with the sound of Music...") Once the point is established the rest of the lyric are examples to support the hypothesis. There are major exceptions: the Soliloquy in CAROUSEL or much of the recitative in ALLEGRO, but mostly these songs were about savouring the moment and spinning out variations on a theme.

Now, 1776 does this in "The Lees of old Virginia" and "He Plays the Violin" but a number like "But Mr. Adams" I would say really develops the action. In fact if you removed the song there would be a gaping hole in the narrative.

As for being re-workshopped, I don't think it at all necessary. It is a fine show and most amazingly very different from every show that came before it and after it. That's what makes it such a unique theatrical experience.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/2/09 at 9:32pm

Well, since everyone has been writing their reviews here, I am going to go along and not start another thread.
One point I agree (although I still feel MTR is a stronger song, and especially sung by James Barbour):
"there is no denying that "Momma, Look Sharp" is one of if not the best song in the show and Griffin Matthews sang it beautifully." This guy has talent! He will be someone to watch in future musical theater. And I love the fact that they cast a black American in the role! :) Especially fitting for this show, and it gives it some creative diversity.
What can be said about the rest of the cast? Absolutely incredibly talented, well staged, and sung. I could not find much to pick about this production.
Conrad John Schuck was a treat as Franklin, and I found Don Stephenson to be an effective John Adams, although I always picture Adams to be stuckier, and shorter. I think Stephenson was too nice and soft looking for his part.
About your comment, WonderBoy..." While his song garnered the most applause, James Barbour was a bit too "stagey" for me."
I also noticed that Barbour's part was "enhanced", so to speak, and given more to do onstage than usually is done with Rutledge, perhaps to give Barbour more weight in the show. This might be why he seemed to be "stagey", having been given direction to make his character more notable (considering his nominations, and Tony possibilty, I think the producers wanted to make him more visible in this show). His rendition of "Molasses to Rum" has become a classic for me. I know others have sung this number well, but Barbour's force, enunciation, and protrayal has to be the ultimate rendition for this song. Nobody can convince me otherwise, sorry!
Robert Cuccioli, whom I had never seen onstage before, surprised me a bit. His voice was softer than I thought it would be (maybe because it was called for in his character, I don't know) and I imagined him to be taller and stuckier than he was. Otherwise, he did a good job with his part. Aaron Ramey, on the night I saw him, was literally a burst of energy and I loved his undertaking of Richard Henry Lee!
Papermill is a treat of a venue, BTW. The grounds it is on are very well kept, tranquil, and very beautiful to sit outside until showtime. The inside, as well, is a great space, full of past performences photos, some memorabilia, and a great little gift shop, as well as a sitting area upstairs. The stage is also very well seen from any angle. But...do not recomment the mezzanine section...too far! =I
Updated On: 5/3/09 at 09:32 PM

Posted: 5/2/09 at 9:50pm

I am trying to think of a song in 1776 that DOESN'T advance the plot. I guess you could cut "Momma Look Sharp" but as many have pointed out, it's the best song in the show and also is the moment that the audience gets to see a non-congressional perspective on the war. I'd say that not only does the score advance the plot, each song serves multiple purposes: For example, you could send Lee off to get the resolution in a few lines, but the song not only fleshes out HIS character, but it gives Franklin a chance to shine AND Needle Adams as well.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/2/09 at 10:17pm

I saw this last week and just now found this thread.

I thought this was a great production! The second act is absolutely breath-taking, as it should be in a good production of this show.

This has got to be one of the stronger casts Papermill has assembled in a long time. There is a TON of talent up on that stage.

I liked Stephenson's portrayal of Adams, which is a deceptively difficult role to play. He's "obnoxious and disliked," but he also has to be the character the audience roots for. Stephenson balanced the two very well, I thought. My only quibble with him was his (I presume) choice to play Adams with that very nasal voice.

Schuck was a treat as Franklin. That role is always an audience favorite. Cuccioli is quieter and more reserved than he tends to be, which serves his "cool, cool considerate" character very well. Kevin Earley was a bit bland as Jefferson, but that's probably a character choice.

Barbour, of course, is the audience favorite. His rendition of Molasses to Rum may be definitive, and it's a shame it will never be recorded. I didn't notice him getting any more to do than any other Rutledge I've seen, as someone else mentioned mentioned.

The rest of the talented cast does as much as they can in small roles that are really below their talents- Aaron Ramey, Nick Wyman, Kevin Pariseau, et. all do well with what they're given.

Unfortunately, the ladies don't fare so well. Kerry O'Malley fails to register as Abbigail. Lauren Kennedy is her typical, bland, boring self. I have no idea why such an unappealing performer continues to get work.

This is absolutely worth the trip to Millburn. The set looks good, the orchestra sounds great, and it's a great production of a wonderful show. The ending never fails to give me chills, and I always leave feeling very patriotic.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 2:43am

I found O'Malley's performance quite nice and fitting for her part. There was only one part where I felt she overdid it (when she belted out to Adams about the cases he had requested), but for the rest, she was just fine and fitting.
Lauren has a very fine voice, and she was enthusiastic and refreshing as Martha...just did not like the way they did her hair =[ Do you find her unappealing because she is not pretty enough? I hope not.
Then again, perhaps on a different night, as when you saw them, they might not have been at their best, very possible.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 8:58am

No, I find her unappealing because she is bland and boring.

[p.s.]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 10:50am

Barbour, of course, is the audience favorite. His rendition of Molasses to Rum may be definitive, and it's a shame it will never be recorded.


Buy his CD. It is wonderful.
And powerful!


p.s.
CD includes Molasses to Rum [to Slayaves]

[musicalsFan]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 12:01pm

I wish he had more than 9 songs on the CD. Sigh.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 5:43pm

I saw the show last night and felt the second act was stronger than the first (but I am a James Barbour fan so...). It was definitely a strong book. I like that.

In any case, to the person asking about the trains back to the city, the show runs pretty long (2 hours and 45 min approx) but there is an 11:52 out of Millburn on Saturday nights. We caught that one. Its a little wait after the show, but its not like its impossible to get back.