The
current show at MMAS and the Unitarian Church of
Sharon is "1776" about the founders of this
country. The show is a musical with music and
lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter
Stone. It is based on the events leading to the
writing and signing of the United States
Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 1776. The musical was first
produced on Broadway in 1969, ran 1,217
performances and was made into a film with the
same name in 1972. It was nominated for five
Tony Awards and won three including Best
Musical. Hard working director Judi Kotta casts
the best people for these roles while Dave
Coccia, the musical director taught these
talented performers the intricate
songs and choreographer Karen Anderson comes up
with some creative dance numbers for this show.
Their combined efforts produce a stunning piece
of theater with a patriotic theme for this
festive time of year. The final tableau which
resembles the actual signing of the Declaration
is breathtaking.
Judi's
blocking and direction is splendid. Her keen eye
at obtaining emotional performances in these
challenging roles shines through and her cast is
rewarded with a spontaneous standing ovation.
David conducts a seven piece orchestra while
Shannon Manley plays lead keyboards for the
show. He obtains vocal excellence from these
performers in their solos, duets, trios and
group numbers. The harmonies soar in these
songs. Karen last choreographed Stepping Out
last year for MMAS. Her dances are seen in
"The Lee's of Old Virginia", "But Mr. Adams","
He Plays the Violin", "Cool, Considerate Men"
and" The Egg".
Stage manager Linda Strano and her assistant,
Donna Bentley keep the show running smoothly all
night long. The story is mainly about John Adams
who is obnoxious and disliked by members of
Congress. The heart and soul of this show is his
relationship with his wife, Abigail which shows
his softer more humane side and although they
take place in his imagination, these are some of
the strongest moments in this show.
Ken
Butler is terrific as John Adams. He handles
comic and dramatic roles with ease and this
is one more feather in his cap. Ken's marvelous
baritone voice is heard as he leads the opening
chorus in the show stopping "Sit Down John". He
also shows Adams anger at Congress' do nothing
attitude in adopting the resolution in "Piddle,
Twiddle", in "But Mr. Adams" when he seeks to
find someone to write the Declaration, "The Egg"
when he describes the birth of the country and
the magnificent gut-wrenching "Is Anybody
There?" when he shows his final exasperation at
Congress. Jennifer Mischley does a stunning job
as Abigail Adams as his muse for his conscience
during his troubled times of the Revolution.
Their duets of "Till Then", "Yours, Yours,
Yours" and "Compliments" are poignant, leaving
you in tears as well as displaying Ken and Jen's
terrific voices at the same time. They
have wonderful chemistry together. Another
dramatic song in the show is the anti-war
song, "Mama, Look Sharp". The courier
tells about his two friends being killed and
how their mothers go to look for them. Matthew
Dowd stops the show with his amazing tenor voice
which brings tears to the audiences eyes at his
touching rendition at the close of Act 1.
Richard Butler and Tyler Lawson sing harmony on
this number. (Matt is headed to Tufts University
this fall as a freshman.)
The
biggest scene stealer in this show is Pete
Molitor as Ben Franklin. He has many hilarious
one liners and sexual innuendoes and he makes
them all count, winning many laughs while doing
so. His song's include "But Mr. Adams", "The
Egg" and "Lees of Old Virginia" and the violin
song. Joe Casey as Roger Sherman and Marty West
as Robert Livingston do a wonderful song and
dance routine in this number with Pete and
Brian. The kick line is fantastic. The main
spokesman against Independence is John
Dickinson. Matt's dad, Mike Dowd is Dickinson.
He is superb in this role. Mike fleshes out the
character and gives him great depth with many
layers. He is not only a topnotch actor but a
very talented vocalist, too. Mike leads his
followers in "Cool, Cool Considerate Men'' , an
anthem to the conservative land owners at that
time who felt they should stay with England and
not upset the status quo. Mike and the men
perform an excellent minuet during this song.
The song begins and sounds like "The Star
Spangled Banner". It is one of my favorite songs
in the show and it receives thunderous applause
at the end of it. (I have many pleasant memories
of "1776" having performed the role of Robert
Livingston in it back in 1979.) Glenn Fournier
gives a dramatic moment near the close of the
show. He plays Judge Wilson, a flunkie of
Dickinson who doesn't want to be noticed or
stand out. Another one of Dickinson's cohorts
from South Carolina is Edward Rutledge, who
opposes the passage which says all men are free.
This impasse almost defeats the measure The role
is wonderfully played by Kevin Mischley, Jen's
real life husband. He does a dynamite job with
his impassioned song "Molasses to Rum" where he
says that the north profits just as much as the
south does with the slave trade. His baritone
voice soars in the most difficult song in the
show. Another scene stealer is the high
energy Daniel Kozar as Richard Henry Lee who
brings down the house with "The Lee's of Old
Virginia" where he, Ken and Pete do an excellent
dance to it. And when they carry him out of the
theater backwards, it is a laugh out loud
moment. Daniel also made and designed the
multitude of gorgeous authentic costumes for
this show.
Thomas Jefferson
is excellently played by Brian Gustafson.
Jefferson was a man of few words but is a
tremendous author and lover according to the
show. His tenor voice soars as he sings in "But
Mr. Adams and "The Egg". Brian gives a strong
portrayal as Jefferson and his argument scene
with Ken is a standout moment. The character
comes alive with the appearance of his wife,
Martha played beautifully by Jodi Mulcahy. She
is a gorgeous strawberry blonde and her soprano
voice soars in "He Plays the Violin".
Her singing with Ken and Pete is splendid as
is the kissing scene with Brian is
hilarious. Kudos to everyone who make this a
show to be very proud of.
For
a spectacular musical treat be sure to catch
"1776" to start the celebration of the Fourth of
July with a bang.
1776
(3 to 11
July, 2010)
MMAS,
Unitarian Church, 4 North Main Street, Sharon,MA
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