1776

By now, my readers most likely know how much I abhor wrong portrayals of the age, race, and gender of characters. It’s just confusing because we audiences don’t know if those choices are part of the story or just diverse casting.

But this production of the very old Broadway musical, 1776, at the Ahmanson Theatre is one instance where I can accept it because all the characters, who are real-life men, are being portrayed by women. That’s the big deal about this direct-from-Broadway National Tour, so I knew about that change going in. It’s like the days of Shakespeare, (where women were played by men,) but reversed! And I’m all for girl power. [Note: It has since been was brought to my attention that the show also includes transgender and nonbinary cast members. As an ally of the LBGTQ+ community, I want to acknowledge that.]

And actually, I once had to “play” a guy myself. When I was in my first college, and doing the usual Friday night hang, one of my guy friends asked me to accompany him to see his cousin whose Navy boat had just docked nearby. As we approached, he told me that only males could go on board. (Nice of him to let me know that ahead of time.) In those days, I went make-up-free, anyway, and was a little skinny thing with just a hint of boobs. So I donned my friend’s jacket and gloves (to hide my hands,) tucked my long hair inside a cap, created some face “stubble” with a pen, and hung an unlit cigarette out of the side of my mouth. And, most importantly, I walked tough. And the guards waved me right onto the boat! I guess I was ahead of my time.

Bringing it back to 2023, something amusing, (to me, anyway,) happened when I was leaving the house to go to the opening night of 1776. I asked Mr. X if he knew what show I was seeing that night, and without skipping a beat, he answered, “The Women.” He wasn’t being flippant; all he remembered from what I had told him about it is that it’s an all-female cast, so he was just guessing that it was a play of that old film. I laughed, but then I realized that the way things are going these days, someone may re-do that classic tale starring…all males! (Wait—that may actually be a good idea! Who wants to produce it with me?)

Now as to these women of 1776, they’re a very talented cast. I didn’t know what was going on in the narrative half the time, but the actresses were sure giving it their all. They all have beautiful voices, and their line deliveries are spot-on.

It’s basically an ensemble piece, but a few of the performances stood-out for me. Liz Mikel, playing Benjamin Franklin, is a cross between Queen Latifah and Whoopee Goldberg. And better than both!

The woman who played the *New York rep is very funny, especially for having only a soupçon of words. *[Note: I feel awful for not giving her name credit, but we were sitting too far back this time to make-out faces, and there’s no “New York” credit in the program, so I cannot figure-out who the actress is.]

And Nancy Anderson, playing Thomas Jefferson, not only acts and sings, but plays a mean *violin! Color me impressed. *[Note: I’m assuming she was playing herself, but my friend pointed-out that, again, we were too far back to determine that for ourselves—it could have been a member of the orchestra doing the real playing, but I really think it was Ms. Anderson.]

In case you don’t know the premise of 1776, and the simple title doesn’t give it away, this musical is about the events leading up to the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, a subject I spaced-out on in school. I know it’s sort of a strange topic for a musical, but it’s not lost on me that the historical acts depicted on stage are why we all have the freedom to be able to sit here today and watch a show to begin with!

But I do think it’s a bit weird to revive this patriotic 1969 musical now, in general, and even more so when it’s not even close to July 4th. And then it hit me that perhaps someone was tiring of seeing Hamilton get all the glory for bringing these real-life old school tales to life on stage, and figured some of that Broadway magic could be sprinkled on 1776, as well. (I, of course, have no idea of how any of that decision happened; I’m just offering my own theory of the origin of the revival.)

But no matter—it’s here now. And I enjoyed learning a bit more about some of our Founding Fathers from the states that are special to me. I grew up in New York, which meant I often visited New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well. And I spent my childhood summers in New England, mainly Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. As an older teen, I once traveled up and down the East Coast, so I also hit Delaware, Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas.  And the absolute worst talk show I ever guested on was in Maryland! (But it’s been a fun story ever since.) Therefore, as basically boring as the premise of 1776 is to me, I always appreciate hearing anything about those particular states.

On top of all that, I lived in Rhode Island for a few years myself, so I loved being reminded that Little Rhody was so involved in the shaping of our country! Even though I’m obsessed with that state, I usually forget about its important history.

I attended two colleges there, so it cracked me up that, in the show, the representative from that state wanted to drink all the time, including in the morning. I can definitely confirm Rhode Island’s residents’ proclivity to imbibe!  I think I’ve been the only person in that entire state who doesn’t drink.

But my travels aside, I feel that one has to be an American History major to understand a lot of the script of 1776. In all honesty, though, I did get much more of the story when I saw a traditional rendition of the show elsewhere a dozen years ago. The action was much easier to follow with males in their proper roles. First of all, they looked somewhat like the men they were portraying, and correct visuals always help, so you don’t have to spend any time re-processing the scenarios in your mind. Also, I hate to say it, but the dialogue had much more gravitas with male voices. That made it easier to identify what was going on, especially when the characters all talk at once, as they often do in the first half.

While I’m being so honest about everything, I must discuss the running time of 1776, which is way too long, (sort-of like this review!) It’s listed at two hours and forty-five minutes, and the time does not fly by. At least a half hour can easily be cut from it, but this is how the show was written all those decades ago, so the lengthiness isn’t the fault of this production. Maybe 1969 audiences had more time on their hands. (And for sure, they weren’t anxious to get home to watch the NBA post-season games they had recorded that day, as I admit I was.)

Perhaps that extreme length is why several audience members around us used the occasion to take a nap. And a couple near me kept trying their best to keep each other awake.

Add to that that my friend Laura said the Continental Congress scenes were like watching C-Span! She’s really intelligent and worldly, so I don’t know if that was a compliment or the opposite; I’m just reporting what she said.

One head-scratching aspect to 1776, also regarding the original writing, is that there really aren’t enough songs to merit the duration of the story. I think that’s how musicals were written back in the day, (this one has a baker’s dozen songs,) but we’re perhaps a bit spoiled by modern musicals which feature less dialogue and more actual music.

What I appreciated most about this particular production is all the interesting memories it kept bringing up for me, which is a lovely thing for an entertainment to afford someone. So here’s one last remembrance that this cast of talented women evoked in me, (even though the title of this very e-zine states that It’s Not About Me! So please feel free to skip this paragraph if you’re done with my personal yarns for the day.) In my clubbing days at the beginning of the aughts, I had a group of really cute friends. I knew that each of us was popular with the guys, but hadn’t given any in-depth thought to that situation. One night, a quartet of us went to my friend Peter’s recording studio to watch a session. We had a great time with the singers, Peter, and a friend of his. As we were leaving, the friend admiringly exclaimed, “And you’re all different shapes and sizes, too!!!” We all turned around and stared at him while he red-facedly explained that he had been thinking all night how attractive we all were, including that we had totally different looks—one brunette, a blonde, a redhead, and one with natural black hair. I was the only one with blue eyes and a big nose, and one girl was make-up-less and always wore her hair back. We had been sitting down the whole time, so when we stood up to go, the guy noticed that we had a variety of body types and ranged in height from 5’1” to 5’8”! That’s what elicited that appreciative out-loud comment from him. And it made us get a kick out of our differences from then on.

I hadn’t thought of that fun night for years until this all-female cast appeared on the stage—they all looked so different from each other, which made for a wonderful visual! And for a fun memory for me personally.

So, if you can get behind gender-reversed roles, and would enjoy learning about, (or being reminded of,) how the Declaration of Independence came about, 1776 is the show for you.

And any lesson about our country’s history is worthwhile, isn’t it?

Speaking of history, one of the cast members, Brooke Simpson, who is a full-blooded Native American and an obviously proud member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, greeted the assemblage before the curtain rose. One of the facts she told us is that the very Ahmanson Theatre in which we were comfortably seated was built on originally Native American land! As a big fan of this venue, I’m grateful to have a bit more insight into its history. That’s one high school class I would have paid attention in!

1776 running through May 7, 2023
Ahmanson Theatre  135 N. Grand Ave.
213-972-4400  www.CenterTheatreGroup.org