1776

The creation/signing of the Declaration of Independence ... as a musical? Yes, it works!

Winner of the 1969 Tony for Best Musical (beating "Promises Promises" & "Hair"), "1776" makes for excellent entertainment.

Some of Sherman Edwards' score feels a bit dated, but several songs are terrific!

Best tracks include:

Piddle, Twiddle & Resolve
The Lees Of Old Virginia
But, Mr. Adams (my favorite)
He Plays The Violin (Betty Buckley, way before "Memory")
Momma Look Sharp
The Egg
Is Anybody There?

The subject matter is as timeless as time itself. And after listening to samples of the oringinal soundtrack, I have rediscovered exactly how timeless a classic this musical-and it's music is. From the first song to the last, every song grabs you, pulls you in, and makes you want to sing along. I personally enjoy the Broadway recording much more than the folm soundtrack, even though many fo the actors from the stage production are also in the film: William Daniels, Ken Howard, and many others. I never tire of hearing the congress tell John Adams "Sit Down, John", or the declaration committee, one by one sing "But Mr. Adams". I say stars and stripes, forever, for the lively "1776".

I got to see the original cast of "1776" in New York City during my teen years, many (sigh) years ago. My history teacher thought it would be interesting to dress us pseudo-hippies up nicely and give us a little culture and a history lesson. I still recall what a good time I had, and how I was swept up in the infectious spirit of the cast. Back before audio cassettes and CD's, there was the humble LP, which I bought immediately after seeing this show. I admit, the quality of the singing could be better, but I never cared. I've been buying this album/cassette/CD every time I wear out the old one. On long drives, it's a great way to stay awake while singing along ("Sit down, John!" is a favorite of mine). Perhaps those of us who saw the show (especially with the original cast) will get more out of the music than those who are just listening for the first time, but it's still a nice recording. So William Daniels (as John Adams) doesn't sing like Howard Keel or someone of that ilk! So what? I love this recording for sentimental reasons but it can be fun for those who just like the play, too.

1776 has generated both positive and negative criticism. Some have said that the songs are corny. I actually think that the songs are much better than they are often given credit for. They are quite marvelous little numbers, tuneful and cleverly crafted, and they deliver a lot of historical background in a diverting manner. (Okay, I think "The Egg" seriously needs a few rewrites, but apart from that the score is wonderful.) The composer incorporated some 18th-century gestures and orchestration (harpsichord, basso continuo) as well, and this adds to the period flavor. It is interesting that in this musical the songs, with one or two exceptions, do not move the plot forward but rather function as a kind of respite from the intense debate scenes. I believe the show could work well without the songs as a straight play. But the creators of this show understood that dramatic tension cannot be sustained forever. You must have a respite - some music, something lighter, some comic relief, perhaps. I consider the best songs to be the rousing introductory number "Sit down, John", "Mama, look sharp" (a very touching kind of frontier folk song), and the Tory Dickinson's brilliant satirical number "Cool, cool considerate men". I am infuriated that they deleted the latter song from the movie version of 1776. What were they thinking? This is the best thing in the show!

Anyway, now I must get down to talking about the performances, and in several cases they are not satisfactory. As John Adams, William Daniels continues the grand old Broadway tradition of male leads who are not trained singers (eg. Robert Preston, Rex Harrison, Jack Klugman) and to his credit he manages to create a sharply ethced character with his willful, strident nasal voice. Similarly, the vocal quality of the actors playing Franklin, Jefferson, and Dickinson are about what you might expect from Broadway performers who can't sing and whom nobody expects to be able to sing. But wouldn't it be nice to assemble a cast that actually had good singing voices? I saw a community theater production where the actor playing Dickinson was a trained singer and had a voice A HUNDRED times superior to the fellow on this recording. The two women, the actor playing Richard Henry Lee, and the soloist in "Momma, look sharp" are the good singers in the batch. But the other guys - why anyone would actually want to listen to these guys croak these songs out is beyond me. I'd be interested in hearing the 1997 revival recording.

If you haven't seen the movie or the original broadway play, you may not find the attraction many people like myself have for this recording. This is a fantastic recording of the Broadway play (sans William DaSilva as Franklin - he was out recovering from a heart attack at the time of the recording). The leads definitely have "questionable" singing credentials. Most people wouldn't think of William Daniels (KITT from Knight Rider and Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World) and Ken "The White Shadow" Howard as great singers, but it's more than carrying a tune that was important. It was the acting and presentation of the characters that makes these performances great. It is fantastic we have the movie available for people to see, because I don't think people would appreciate this recording as much if it wasn't for that.

So, unless you are already a fan of the original broadway production or the movie, I would suggest that you skip this version for now. Instead, I do suggest you go see the movie. Once you are hooked by that, then you will want to come back to enjoy the songs again and again.