REVIEW: 1776 (Ford’s Theatre)

I know many in the DMV have qualms about the state of the country, and often too the events of it that got us here. As Twitter user @horse_ebooks famously said, “Everything happens so much.” The United States should have those words collectively tattooed on its metaphysical forehead. This makes the nationwide celebration of “America 250” this year all the more awkward: what is there to celebrate when millions don’t have health care, people get detained off the street, and we’re starting bogus wars for no reason? Despite these pains, our national chronology continues to be a source of fascination. As the first New World colonies to overthrow imperial rule, members of the “American Experiment” were literally writing the book as they went along. I’ve always admired the chutzpah of it all, but my personal historical interest in this country has mostly been surrounding the Civil War (see: Reconstruction) eight decades later — especially so right now, as I’m neck deep in the Ken Burns documentary on it. Rarely, though, does a specific entity have such a deep connection to this vein of history. Especially in the arts. Especially not like Ford’s. The E Street outfit had a golden opportunity to put something big on for their own celebration of the American Revolution, and so they asked: what better way to celebrate the events of 1776 than by throwing it back with the musical 1776? In an era of Hamiltons and Mexodi, this is a musical people don’t tend to pay attention to as much, so this 1960s Best Musical Tony winner is a piece I had been curious to finally check out.

Book/Music

Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone likely found themselves in a similar position to us when composing 1776 in the late 1960s. Just a few years prior, the country had undergone a serious racial reckoning, and just a few years away was a major milestone of this same country’s declaration of freedom under the law; This perplexity colors the tone of this musical. It chronicles the Continental Congress in the summer of 1776 as John Adams seeks to persuade the delegates to vote in favor of independence from Great Britain. His only ally in this cause seems to be the much-revered Benjamin Franklin, as Adams is perceived as preachy and annoying. Believing that if Adams proposes a declaration of independence that nobody would support it, they recruit Thomas Jefferson to draft it. What follows is the subsequent efforts to recruit enough “Yea” votes from the other colonial delegates to reach unanimity. There’s a lot less excitement in this musical compared to other historical ones, as well as a humongous absence of women (save for the occasional feature of Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson, who even still feel like afterthoughts), and the score isn’t noteworthy enough to make up for it. But from a purely dramatic point of view, what drives each character is explored with great detail. This creates thoughtful, surprisingly tense conflict that works the best at key inflection points, such as the decision to remove an anti-slavery passage from the document. Ultimately, my chief question was why this was made into a musical instead of a straight play. It holds the record for the longest period of time in a musical without a single note played or sung at around 30-ish minutes in Act I; and believe me, you hardly notice what you’re missing. 8/10

Acting

There is quite the ensemble in this production. By my count, the show has 26 speaking roles, ranging from Adams to one-off state delegates who only say “Yea” or “Nay” on cue.

And there isn’t a single weakness among them. The performances, uniformly plucky and exciting, showcase the extreme spectrum of high talent from around DC stages. Jonathan Atkinson’s snide take in the lead role as Adams is pointed, spearing a central triad of Jefferson (a terrifically stone-faced Jake Lowenthal) and Franklin (Derrick Truby, Jr.) who are impossible to resist when together. But if you’re desperate to focus on a single turn, look no further than Truby. His embodiment of Mr. Philadelphia himself is at once sophisticated, waggish, and informed. This kerosene of theatricality powers this show even when its energy dips during some of the slower, law-focused sections; his charisma infects the room far beyond the stage.

The amount of fringe characters in the piece could also be pretty forgettable, but are thankfully aren’t due to interesting, varied accents and believably rich personalities. From the pencilly indecision of Tom Story’s Dr. Hall (of Georgia), to the bubbly enthusiasm of Michael Perrie Jr’s Richard H. Lee (Virginia), and from the crusty piraticality of Rhode Island’s Stephen Hopkins (Stephen F. Schmidt) to the sinister pro-thralldom actions of South Carolina’s Edward Rutledge (Joe Mallon), the show never runs out of ways to dollop extraordinary performances throughout its two-and-a-half hour runtime. 10/10

Production

Director Luis Salgado has pulled off some kind of miracle in handling a musical epic of this size, with a cast this large, on a stage this small. Somehow, it never feels claustrophobic. Perhaps this can be attributed to Milagros Ponce de Leon’s monumental staging, which inflates the perceived scale of the room, or perhaps it’s the clever blocking that creates positive spacing and composition for the eye. Ivania Stack’s costumes, too, are texturally impressive and personable. The triumvirate of color, pattern, and period style used allow the viewer to anchor their vision to each character without overwhelming them.

Actually, no! I know what it is. It’s gotta be Daniel Gutierrez’s massive orchestrations, which take on a surprisingly jangly, big-band personality. The injection of what felt like freer forms of jazz into a classical musical theatre costume allows a generally milquetoast score to indulge in itself. This is punctuated with an explosive finale that crescendos with foreboding regret, almost as if to ask if signing the dang thing 250 years ago was a mistake — or perhaps an optimistic self-awareness that the work may never be done, but that it had at least been started. 10/10

Viz

Ford’s is itself a historic site, attracting by far the most unique clientele of the big DC houses. (Most audiences I’ve been a part of were tourist-heavy.) The static nature of the surrounds means that they can’t change much to immerse the audience in their theatrical world. But what if the show gets immersed in the audience’s? That’s the approach taken here with 1776, as the show introduces itself as an exhibit in the museum that is in the playhouse you’re in, complete with an “Interactive America 250” poster on an easel. There are outfits and props scattered about, and Lawrence Redmond does the turn-off-your-phone spiel as an NPS ranger. The cutely patriotic program art features our three heroes with a lot of stars and stripes action, too. Frank(Lee), it’s as good an intro you can get to a theatrical experience. 10/10

Verdict

Ford’s serendipitous 1776 is both a hoot and a holler, bringing together a lot of daunting moving parts into a ravishing, down-to-the-wire historical drama. 38/40