Theatre attendees bustled into Jones Theatre Saturday evening for the Westcliffe Center of the Performing Arts (WCPA) second evening of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s Tony Award-winning musical, 1776. Written 57 years ago, 1776 highlights the complexities, conflicts, and compromises of America’s birth. Making a national resurgence for America’s 250th anniversary, 1776 is generationally accessible with its witty, humanizing, and lovable dialogue, musical scores, and dance breaks.
Valley locals and visitors alike took to their seats while illuminated by the patriotic glow of red, white, and blue stage lights as piano covers of the poem-turned-hymn “America the Beautiful” written by Katherine Lee Bates at the top of Pikes Peak, “You’re A Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan, and “Amazing Grace” written in 1779 by the English clergyman John Newton, played overhead.
Foreshadowing the ideological duels about to commence, the set, designed by Mike and Sharon Corage and constructed by Mark Maloney and Scott Foster, remained a powerful image of dueling desks with an ensemble of eclectic chairs—a metaphor for both the Continental Congress itself and today’s Capitol Hill. Then just as quickly as the theatre filled, a fife and drum march rang out as actors each proceeded to the stage one by one—first with Massachusetts’ John Adams, played by Roger Warren, and then 17 more to follow. Warren’s effortless portrayal of Adams grumpiness began the first musical score “Sit Down, John” with amusement and wit. Hopefully John has sat down by now, or at least hopefully someone has opened a window. Warren was on stage for most of the two-and-a-half-hour performance.
The sharp and unexpected exchanges between Abigial Adams, played by WCPA summer intern Kathryn Osburn, and John Adams humanizes the relationships of 1776—not just for the Adams but for the rest of Congress as well. With a handful of scores sung by Osburn throughout both Acts, Osburn’s voice radiated from center stage all the way down the center aisle. And just as humorous and tense as the Adams might be, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, played by WCPA summer intern Vidur Katyal, took to the stage with equal enjoyment. Lee’s unwavering enthusiasm and love for Virginia (and notably his bloodline) came to life with Katyal’s powerful rendition of “The Lees of Old Virginia,” followed by a very group (LEE) audience accompaniment.
For good chunks of 1776, the musical hardly feels like one. Rather, the procedural roll call for Lee’s declaration of independence from Great Britain and the continual “yea,” “nay,” and “tie” yelled out by Secretary Charles Thomson, played by TC Smythe, kept the lengthy chunks of dialogue humorous and easily accessible—even with more than a dozen characters on stage.
The unforgettable argument between John Adams and Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson, played by the remarkable Shana Abe, was a highlight of the first Act—with names such as “agitator” and “fribble” thrown out between the two, the audience erupted with laughter.
The laughter barely settled as Benjamin Franklin, played by Scott Mischnick, with his half-bandaged foot, Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson, played by WCPA summer intern Aiden Duez, and Adams created an endearing trio—especially when Martha Jefferson, played by Alyssa Gaide, joined them onstage. The clash of the affection-seeking Jefferson’s and attention-seeking Congressmen humanized individuals often overshadowed by their roles.
From perfectly timed jazz squares to perhaps one of the most powerful scores of the musical, “Mamma Look Sharp,” sung by the Courier, played by Hannah Behm, Congressional Custodian McNair, played by Matt Valdez, and Leather Apron, played by Kai Dockery, Act 1 proved well the talent from this summer’s WCPA performance of 1776.
With a 20-minute intermission accompanied by the beautifully lit Sangres, theatre attendees mingled among each other as anticipation for Act 2 grew. Though nobody could have been prepared for the brilliance of “Molasses to Rum,” sung by WCPA summer intern Charlotte Campo, who played Edward Rutledge of South Carolina. The musical’s rendition and Campo’s portrayal of resistance to unanimity while debating whether to abandon the anti-slavery clause offered by Franklin and Jefferson stand as a sobering moment in the musical.
More to note: Abigail Adams’s black shawl, love. Costume designers Cheryl Pinnella and Mary Ann Gamble created beautiful period-accurate costumes all around. Additionally, Adam’s endearing softness while dancing with Martha Jefferson and Franklin’s surprising quickness when he hears he’s going to New Brunswick. Act 2 was just as witty, powerful, and worthy of seeing as the first.
With rehearsals officially beginning mid-April and with a cast and crew as large as this summer’s 1776 production—22 cast members and 16 crew members—the official beginning did not mark the daily commitment everyone had. The official cast wasn’t confirmed until long after mid-April, and one WCPA summer intern arrived only one short month ago. There were rehearsals with at least one person missing almost every day, remarked Director and actor, Elliot Jackson, who played Col. Thomas McKean of Delaware. But ultimately, “We didn’t do a complete run-through until Monday before we opened,” Jackson said; “The show, as you saw it, literally came together in the last week.” Even with paralleled rehearsals with Julius Caesar, opening June 26, “I’m just super proud of them,” Jackson added.
Written by Edwards and Stone in 1969 during the height of the Vietnam War, 1776 and the complications of decision making and relationship building which it highlights is done brilliantly and with a humanizing lens. 1776 both complicates while also complementing America’s current political divide while showing how the United States came together not in one day, but rather, imperfectly over the course of time.
While not every cast and crew member has been named here, anyone in attendance will experience a production undeniably forged by a brilliant, well-directed, and unified cast and crew where everyone deserves a “yea!” If you missed this past weekend’s performances of 1776, do not fret as the Westcliffe Center of the Performing Arts will be performing 1776 again June 27 and July 4 at 7 p.m. And be on the lookout for Julius Caesar, opening this Friday evening June 26 at 7 p.m. With performances to follow on Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m., July 3 at 7 p.m., and July 5 at 2 p.m.
– Brett LeVan
