1776 Previews Tonight — Page 4

I heard "conservative" twice and "considerate" once. I also heard one fluffed entrance from the horns, but other than that, all of the dissonance seemed to be written that way. The orchestration, I think, is meant to mirror the fractiousness of the combatants on stage -- or so I've always assumed. Particularly the final chords, which don't portend conventional harmony in the country. That's kind of the point of the show in some ways. And it certainly is playing out that way today, more than either the Founding Fathers or the authors of 1776 could have imagined. That's why I liked the modern clothes, the hoodie, the microphones, etc. I thought it made good connections between then (1776) the other then (1969) and now.

I'm pretty sure this has been answered already, but the Encores production has an intermission, right?

The original Broadway production was performed without an intermission.

Subsequent productions, including the first national tour that I saw at the ripe old age of eight, had one, as I recall. And when I did the show in the '80s, we had an intermission as well.

I can't imagine it without an intermission- it's not a short show.

I just wanted to correct myself: they do in fact sing "conservative" at least once, in the final climactic verse.

2 hrs. 50 min. is long for 1776 even with an intermission. Sounds like they need to pick up their cues.

Should be more like 2 1/2 or maybe 2:40 with intermission. Without would be more like 2:15 or 2:20.

The biggest thing I remember during rehearsals was that long non-musical scene in Act 1, which is roughly 40 minutes without a song. We got that timing down like a fine-tuned instrument. That's the stretch that can either make or break the show as far as pacing goes.



EDIT: I found this, confirming that the Broadway production was performed with no intermission:

When the production opened, there was no intermission. About 10 minutes before performance time, an announcement would be heard through the speakers warning the audience that the running time of the show was more than two hours and there was no intermission so they should now do whatever they needed to do before the performance started.

An intermission was added for the national tour and for the London production. It was placed after "Momma, Look Sharp." To their surprise, the creative team found that they preferred the show with an intermission, and an intermission was soon added to the Broadway production.

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Updated On: 4/1/16 at 07:12 AM

We easily sit through 2.5 hour movies (although movie theatre seats are generally vastly more confortable than live theatre seats). I prefer Follies and Pippin without an intermission, too, but it requires the actors to pick it up and abandon much-loved pauses.

"The cast was excellent from top to bottom, but the true standout was Santino. I was perplexed when they announced his casting and not only were my fears put to rest, but every expectation was extraordinarily exceeded. From piddling and twiddling to running through cupid's grove to every Good God and Incredible he was simply magnificent tackling this mammoth role. It's not only one of the best Encores performances I've seen, it's one of the best male performances I've seen in New York in the past five years. Bravo!"



Whizzer, this made me so excited to see this tonight. Thanks! It has been a joy watching Santino's career growth.

PalJoey said: "I prefer the old three-act plays with two intermissions. They gave you a beginning, a middle, and an end--and two chances to get a drink or go to the bathroom. Much more civilized.."



I'm with you on that. Some people nowadays seem to think going to a play is a kind of ordeal to be gotten through as quickly as possible. For me, it's a pleasure to be relished and lingered over. I love intermissions, talking to my companions or the strangers sitting next to me, having a cocktail, etc. And afterwards, I always want to go out for a drink to talk at length about what I just saw. Why the rush to get back home to the old grind again?

shanphelia said: "Having only seen the movie, I was wondering where the act break would fall, and to me it seemed odd that it came only after "Look Sharp" -- seemed pretty far into the show -- but I can also see where ending Act I on "Cool Considerate Men" then leaves you with a more downbeat opener with "Look Sharp." Though maybe my issue in general has always been with "Look Sharp"; it's a poignant song that introduces an important glimpse of the realities of the war going on far outside this room, but I also feel like it slows/stops the momentum of the show."

It definitely was pretty far into the show. Not that I was bored, but I found myself wondering where the act break was going to fall; I haven't seen a stage production in over a decade, so I couldn't remember.

Kad said: "Another testament to odd structure of the show!"

Very true! It's so interesting how the show bends and breaks conventions!

I can see the logic behind the original staging without an intermission, given the build of tension, but not sure I could make it all the way through the show without a break. As it was, several people (including a gentleman in the row in front of me) had to get up and leave before the first act ended, which was a bit disruptive, but I know sometimes can't be helped if act 1 is close to 90 minutes (I believe it was about 9:25 when it hit).

I still wish they had done it in full costume and the actors had been less reliant on the scripts. I realize script holding is a staple of Encores but I guess I have been spoiled due to very limited script usage in more recent productions. I felt at times I was watching a rehearsal. Santino does carry the show like a Trooper. If he tap dances Roundabout should bring back the George M Cohan musical and have him star in it. And the actor paying Jefferson is quite handsome.

Regarding the tension of the show, I remember reading a story about the original production which mentioned that despite the fact that everyone knew how it came out, the show still had a strong air of suspense to it. During one performance, in the anxious latter part of the second act, one woman in the audience leaned to her companion and asked in a nervous voice, "Do you think they'll sign it?"