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The accolades have been coming fast and furious for Musical Theatre Heritage’s all-female cast of 1776, and the praise is well and truly deserved. Musical Theatre Heritage executive director George Harter’s experiment is such a resounding success, regional and community theatres across the country will be clamoring for the rights to duplicate it.  Skillfully directed by Sarah Crawford and staged as a concert version—performers stand at microphones with music stands and script—this production contains all of the drama, pathos and humor of any staged version.

 1776 is an extraordinary musical no matter how it is done. Sherman Edwards’ music and Peter Stone’s story have resonated with audiences since the premiere on Broadway in 1969.  It is patriotic without being nationalistic, historical without being pedantic, and the tunes are just so darn catchy!

 In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that it is one of my personal favorites; therefore, I attended the August 21^st performance fully expecting to enjoy it.  I was not disappointed.  All of the magic is there and the source of that magic is ultimately in the rich characters Edwards and Stone created. The actors must convey the humanity, foibles, prejudices, and humor of these characters because Edwards and Stone wanted us to understand our “founding fathers” as men:  flawed and noble, cowardly and heroic, visionary and myopic.  How they struggle against their own limitations to achieve the extraordinary feat of founding a nation is the theme of this extraordinary work.

This cast has touched that essential element of character so thoroughly that the gender of the actor matters not a whit.  What matters is that these performers have thoroughly and completely captured the essence of the characters.  Brilliantly anchoring this performance are Deb Bluford as Ben Franklin and Karen Errington as John Adams.  Bluford’s Franklin is right on target:  funny, bawdy, quick with a quip, but wise and dedicated to the cause of independence.  He is sage while his friend John Adams is the firebrand.  “Obnoxious and disliked,” Adams cannot convince the members of Congress to even debate the question of independence.  Errington’s Adams is pitch-perfect: he is grouchy, overbearing, passionate, committed and loving.  In a sometimes maligned technique of the musical, Abigail Adams appears on stage in a fantasy sequence in epistolary conversation with John Adams, detailing the prosaic problems of running the farm, children with measles, and a dearth of pins needed by the ladies of Massachusetts, while he is in Philadelphia debating the revolution of the colonies.  His loneliness, bouts of despair, and love for his wife reveled in these semi-dream sequences help the audience to understand Adams’ humanity.  Errington and Sarah Kleeman as Abigail create beautifully harmony in their duet, “Yours, Yours, Yours” and “Till Then.”  The personal cost of Adams’ commitment to independence is most strongly felt in “Is Anybody There?” where Errington’s delivery is absorbing, touching and so skillful.

More stand-out performances are given by Allison Moody as the hilariously self-absorbed Richard Henry Lee and Jessalyn Kincaid as the moody, love-sick Thomas Jefferson.  In keeping with their goal of revealing the men of the Continental Congress, Edwards and Stone relegate almost no one in the cast to obscurity: everyone represents a real person, has a distinct and recognizable personality and almost everyone has a solo moment in the show.  Some have great moments:  Katie Karel is charged with bringing to life the character of Edward Rutledge, representative of South Carolina. Her compelling portrayal of Rutledge and tour de force singing of “Molasses to Rum” reminds the representatives that the responsibility of slavery rests not just with the slave owners of the South but also with the Yankee merchantmen who procure that human chattel for sale.

Edwards also knew the human cost of independence, and one of the most haunting numbers in the score is “Momma, Look Sharp,” given a breathtaking performance by Malena Marcase. 

Opposing John Adams at every turn is Pennsylvania delegate John Dickinson, who is easy to play as a villain, but Cheryl Weaver’s Dickinson is multi-dimensional and sympathetic even as she allows his sharp wit to skewer Adams at every turn.

This production of 1776 is as robust and detailed and inspiring as any you are likely to see.  As individuals, everyone is a strong performer; as a group, the electricity they create in a room is spectacular.

REVIEW:
Musical Theatre Heritage
1776
Saturday, August 21^st at 8 p.m. (reviewed)
runs through Aug. 29^th
Theatre at Crown Center
2450 Grand Blvd, KCMO
For tickets call (816) 842-9999 or  www.mthkc.com

Top Photo: Cheryl Weaver as John Dickinson in MTH's 1776

By Sarah Young

Classical and Musical Theatre Contributor

Sarah Young is a freelance writer and performer in opera, theatre, choral and musical theatre. She has been seen locally with Wichita Grand Opera, Kansas City Symphony Chorus, Kansas City Civic Opera, Lawrence Community Theatre, Chestnut Fine Arts Center and in other local venues.  She studied voice at the University of Kansas, and has been trained in artist programs at Indiana University, Aspen Opera Theatre and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.