1776 Previews Tonight

Is anyone going? I noticed that James Noble who was in the original Broadway production passed away yesterday. The director was interviewed on New York 1 and she said she was doing it in contemporary dress.

First Ken Howard, now James Noble.

^I'm sure a lot of you already saw that he'd been to see Hamilton last Saturday night.

The lack of costumes is just ridiculous and off-putting. Like a backers audition. At least 'Hamilton' gives it's performers period costume. To see the always excellent Christiane Noll stroll on in jeans and clogs just doesn't support what she's doing! Heavy-handed diversity casting also make this as much of stupid overkill as the 2016 Academy Awards. (Brian Stokes Mitchell as Thomas Jefferson, anyone? Chuck Cooper as Ben Franklin? May have been better casting.)

I had some moments of being moved with the triumph of emotional associations in this magnificent chapter in American history - but this is still one of the worst misfires I have ever witnessed at Encores.

It's just disappointing that the Dir. didn't trust the relevancy of the work without these additional elements?

Updated On: 3/31/16 at 12:19 PM

So was the concept with the costumes trying to parallel America in 1776 with America in 2016? Nikki Renée Daniels looks very much like Michelle Obama in that sleeveless dress, but why? What is gained?

I won't be able to make it to the show, but the preview view is kind of a disappointment. I love the idea of diversifying the casting of this show, but the moments they showed seemed kind of underpowered. The orchestra, in particular, sounds like it could be louder. I'm sure it will still be an enjoyable night, because 1776 is a lot of fun, but now I'm not as bummed that I'm missing out.

sarahb22 said: "forgetmenotnyc said: "Heavy-handed diversity casting makes this as much of stupid overkill as the 2016 Academy Awards."

It's trying to be 'Hamilton'. Not sure how well it will succeed given that it's much more talky and the songs are all conventional Broadway-style musical numbers rather than hip-hop. Guess we'll see."

1) Reflecting back on the Encores! shows I've seen, I think that their track record for diversity is well above average. It's not perfect, but this is a series that has done several all-black shows (they JUST did one last month) and a few shows that explicitly call for diverse ensembles (like Finian's Rainbow). More than that, there tends to be a fair amount of diversity in, at the very least, their ensembles.

2) Why now is a show that calls for diversity among its cast "trying to be 'Hamilton'"? Isn't it just a reflection on a theater company trying to increase diversity in an increasingly diverse era?

3) I feel like some people don't realize how immediate some of the issues in 1776 still are. I always reflect back on "but don't forget that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor," and think about how relevant that still is, 240 years later. It's only creaky if you let it become creaky.

I unashamedly love both 1776 and the entire mission of the Encores! series. I am here for reexamining and making an attempt at keeping older works fresh and meaningful. I've been looking forward to this production for months, and am so excited about seeing it on Saturday. I'm going in with high hopes, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will not be disappointed.

I think a multi-cultural 1776 could be very interesting. Didn't a read about an all female production performed somewhere?

But aside from needing to be expertly directed to be effective, this concept for Encores coming right on the heels of HAMILTON does feel a little derivative I think the issue with color blind casting is always that it needs to be organic to be truly effective - there are some performers in this who are just mis-cast and that doesn't have anything to do with their race.

Encores has explicitly made clear that Hamilton was an inspiration for this mounting of 1776.

""We chose to do 1776 in part because of the success of Hamilton — it covers a lot of the same history in a completely different way because it was written in a completely different era, which should make things interesting. But we’re presenting it now, not then, and every show that we do at Encores! is set in three periods, really — the present, the era it was written in, and the era it is set in."

He added, "To do justice to the first, it only seemed logical to celebrate one of the things that has finally taken Broadway by storm, thanks in great part to Hamilton— making the event on stage as diverse as the America we live in."



http://www.playbill.com/article/encores-1776-looks-to-hamilton-for-a-founding-fathers-revamp-com-363693

I think whether or not Encores is riding the Hamilton coattails is immaterial here. 1776 is an extremely worthwhile show to revisit (especially now, with a Congress that would give John Adams an aneurysm), and performers of all backgrounds should be able to have the chance to perform in it.

I have absolutely no problem with the approach, but lighting seldom strikes twice in a bottle; especially in the same season. 1776 is incredibly worthy of being presented by Encores so no problem there, but it sounds like they maybe needed a stronger director at the helm to make the concept feel 'fresh' in the face of Hamilton. And again, I'm all for non-traditional casting, but you still need to be right for the role in all the other ways the script calls for - and some of these actors (regardless of whatever race they are) just aren't right vocally or otherwise for the parts they are playing. Ironically, from that short video clip, I think the person who comes across best is Rikki Renee Daniels who seems delightful and in good voice.

Updated On: 3/30/16 at 12:58 PM

Kelli O'Hara would make a terrible John Adams.

Burstein would be a fantastic Franklin someday.