The most brilliant moment of 1776... — Page 2

A theater group that I was involved with was asked to reproduce their production of this show on 4th of July Weekend in 2002. Patriotism was at an all time high in the months after September 11th, and we were performing in a brand new outdoor shell. The town was coinciding their fireworks to cap off the performance on the 4th. That night we had about 5,000+ come out to see the show- and their were people as far as the eye could see. It had just started to get dark our when it was time for me to sing "Is Anybody There" and I will never EVER forget the rush of seeing all those people, singing that song in its context and what it means to the show and the character- one of the biggest thrills of my performing life!

I would also say that watching Rutledge sing Molasses To Rum every night was thrilling- the tension in the air was so thick and by the time he would look at me and say "Mr. Adams I give you a toast!"- it was just so awesome!

Here is to hoping that if they ever do a Blu-Ray release, it will indeed be the Laserdisc version of the movie that has EVERYTHING in it!

It is my favorite show of all time. It never fails to move me more deeply than any other musical I've ever encountered. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to audition for Adams (was too young for it then, still a titch young now), and just getting to do the audition was an honor.

Favorite moment? Abigail's final 'Saltpetre, John!'

This is all from memory which is not totally sharp here:

To me the high point and the climax of the piece is very quiet. It is the line spoken by the man from Georgia (?) immediately following "Is Anybody There?"

"...Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?"

Silence.

Then we hear from a dim corner of the otherwise empty set, "I do John. I do.", and he changes his vote to 'For'. That is the climax of the whole damn night. It gives us the cascading inevitability of the success that we know is coming, but we just didn't know how this log jam would be broken.

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Some reviewer wrote the genius of 1776 is that it manages to build such tension over the outcome of a question we all know the answer to.

The book will, Amalia. McCullough's book the best historic non-fiction books I've read in my life. You will get an even greater appreciation of John and Abigail from the book. They were good, decent people. Adams' story is incredible. I hope you get a deep appreciation for him as you read, he's my hero.

Have you seen the HBO mini series with Paul Giamatti?

"McCullough's discussion of the relationship between John and Abigail was a favorite part of mine. They had a very real partnership-in an age when people really didn't typically marry for love, John and Abigail did-and she was his equal (even more unusual-and she was very, very intelligent)."

Oh, mine too. It's a true love story - and yes, they loved each other as equals. I find their story heartbreaking. They spent years apart from each other, from miles away to separate continents, but their love was unwavering. It's hard to find a flaw in Adams, besides being "obnoxious and disliked." He didn't own slaves, as Washington and Jefferson did, he was not a womanizer like Franklin, and he was not a religious zealot. He and Abigail also despised slavery. She believed in education for women. She never felt sorry for herself as she lived in pitiful conditions as the first tenants of an unfinished White House. She was her husband's closest adviser (though not always right in her advice) And let's face it, she would made a better president than her husband. She was the 1st First Lady.

It makes me happy that 1776 inspires people to talk about John Adams. Anyone who says musicals are irrelevant and frivolous should read this thread.

PattiLover-turn on your PMs. (A little book talk.)

I also have to cast my vote (!) for Virginia Vestoff. So splendid and warm and unforced. My single favorite moment in the movie is the very end of her song with John, as they sing "Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours" with the distance increasing between them. It is such a poignant comparison with their walking side by side earlier in the song.

Thanks so much best12bars! That would explain why I didn't notice anything new when I watched last night and why "Cool, Considerate Men" looked familiar, lol. I have the DVD, but couldn't remember if that scene was in it or not. The laserdisc is what we watched when I was in fifth grade. It's been one of my favorite musicals since then.

best12bars - Thank you for that historical side bar! That totally makes my day -

Hmmm, you're right, there don't seem to be any clips of the film version of MtR on YoutTube! It used to be there...

Updated On: 7/5/12 at 08:36 PM

Well, you played Adams three times, and it's one hell of a role, not to mention the lead! That's very impressive.

After I was cast as Rutledge I realized what a challenge it was ... not just to "go there" physically and emotionally, but it's a bitch to pull off because of the way the show is constructed. You basically have a smaller role with a line here, a short speech there. You sing a bit of Cool, Considerate Men with Dickinson ... and then comes THAT MOMENT.

No matter how much you warm up in advance before the show, your "five and a half minute one-man play" doesn't happen for two hours. And once you start, you don't stop until you walk off the stage. A scene, a monologue, and a song that shakes the rafters.

I had classical training as a singer (my teacher was from the New York City Opera), and I knew what I was doing, but it didn't help as much as I'd hoped. If you play that part for any length of time, it will fry your voice.

I asked Mary Bracken Phillips about it when she came to see our show. She had been Betty Buckley's replacement as Martha on Broadway. She told me they went through Rutledges very quickly during the run, for that reason. It was hard to stay so quiet for most of the show and then "scream" for over five minutes.

And remember the show in NY was performed without an intermission, so you had to warm up before it started ... then two hours later, you let 'er rip.

I managed to make it through our short run without losing my voice, but it was tough. Once you get to the slave auction, there's no turning back. I do remember how fun it was to play such a villainous scene, hopping up onto the chair with my foot on the table as the lights seeping through the shuttered windows turned blood red behind me. And once the orchestra hits that "vamp" and the African drums start to come in, it's very empowering (in a sick, twisted way). I would lose myself in it every night.

As an actor, going to that "dark place" inside was a lot of fun ... as long as you don't stay there!

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Updated On: 7/5/12 at 09:52 PM

My Broadway Rutledge was David Cryer, summer of '69. Thankfully, Howard da Silva had recovered and was back in the show. As a performer, I've courtiously abstained as Lewis Morris in three different productions. My vote for most brilliant moment in the show, as someone has already mentioned, is "Compliments", with Abigail's triumphant "Saltpetre, John!", especially in the film. It never fails. It picks Adams up at his lowest moment, which is what good story-telling does best.

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