1776

Three Stars

Location: Goodspeed Opera House, Route 82, East Haddam/

Production: Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Book by Peter Stone. Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards. Directed by Rob Ruggiero. Scenery design by Michael Schweikardt. Costume design by Alejo Wietti. Lighting Design by John Lasiter. Orchestrations by Dan DeLange. Assistant musical director William J. Thomas. Production manager R. Glen Grusmark. Production state manager Bradley G. Spachman.

Running time: 3 hours, with one intermission

Show Times: Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (select performances at 2 p.m., Nov. 1, 8, 15, and 29); Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with Saturday matinee at 3 p.m.; and Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., with Sunday evening performance at 6:30 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 9.

Thanksgiving week schedule, Monday Nov. 19 and Friday Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturday Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $26 - $66. Call the box office at 860-873-8668 or visit their Web site at www.goodspeed.org

ACTOR…CHARACTER

Peter A. Carey…John Adams of Massachusetts
Ronn Carroll…Ben Franklin of Pennsylvania
Edward Watts…Thomas Jefferson of Virginia
Glenn Seven Allen…Edward Rutledge of South Carolina
Jayne Paterson…Abigail Adams*
Teal Wicks…Martha Jefferson
Will Lampe…Roger Sherman of Connecticut
Jay Goede…John Dickenson of Pennsylvania
Paul Jackel…Robert Livingston of New York
Alan Rust…John Hancock of Massachusetts
Jack Agnew…Dr. Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire
John Newton…Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island
Michael A. Pizzi…Lewis Morris of New York
Marc Kessler…James Wilson of Pennsylvania
Trip Plymale…Caesar Rodney of Delaware
Jerry Christakos…Jonathan Witherspoon of New Jersey
Kenneth Cavett…Col. Thomas McKean of Delaware
Dean Bellais…George Read of Delaware
Paul Carlin…Samuel Chase of Maryland
Michael P. White…Joseph Hawkes of North Carolina

* Beginning Oct. 31, Rebecca Watson will replace Jayne Watson.


Who would have thought that the story of our founding fathers political debate for independence from England would be fodder for a Tony Award winning musical?

First produced in New York in 1969, it is an unlikely combination to be sure, but one that ultimately succeeds at the Goodspeed Opera House.

Through debate, song, some humor, at a soupcon of romance, the Goodspeed, under the direction of Rob Ruggiero has put together an entertaining and educational production, for those of us who managed to sleep through our American History in high school.

The story, music and concept was the brainchild of Sherman Edwards, a former history teacher who also a successful songwriter. Based on actual events, with some artistic license, our Declaration of Independence in a sweltering Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 was not a foregone conclusion. Of the 13 colonies, many were opposed to war for a variety of reasons.

It is a complement to the musical that so many different characters were able to present such distinct personalities in relatively short period of time.

The casting couldn’t have been better, with everyone, from tall, handsome (and I do mean good looking?) Thomas Jefferson played with proper reserve and did I mention looking fabulous, by Edward Watts, to the diminutive firecracker tempered John Adams, played with intensity and passion by Peter A. Carey, to Ronn Carroll playing the wise and witty Ben Franklin, looking just as Ben should.

And while none of the songs had a tune you can’t get out of your head melody, they all worked together, sometimes as exposition set to music, other times as powerful drama, most notably at the start of the second act when, Edward Rutledge, the South Carolina delegate, played with energy and punch by Glenn Seven Allen, sings a moving condemnation of northern hypocrisy in the song “Molasses to Rum.”

A side note. There is an essay of dubious origin floating around in cyberspace, called “The Price They Paid,” that claims many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence suffered a variety of atrocities, including torture by the British, before they died.

While the online document appears official and has been believed on face value by many to be true, by and large it is not.

There are kernels of factual events within the patriotic-hyping propaganda piece, but ultimately it has been found by an online resource, called www.snopes.com, to be largely an exaggeration of events with layers of fanciful fiction. The Snopes group research urban legends and myths of all kinds to determine, where possible, what is true and what is false.

Once again, Goodspeed has spared no cost on their lavish costumes, designed by Alejo Vietti, from the elaborate embroidery detailing on the southern delegates’ colorful velvet frocks, to the more simple and somber woolen outfits of the north, which helped immeasurably to visually remember who was who in this stellar cast.

On a stage only 18 feet deep and 22 feet wide, the set designed by Michael Schweikardt is a miracle of inventiveness, including a clever sliding brick wall used effectively in several scenes.

If you think you know who cast the last vote that changed the tide of American history, and what his motives were, you may be in for a surprise at the end of this fine ensemble performance.