It's time to talk about how much we love 1776

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:02pm

And we do. What a great show. Awesome score, wonderful book and a very non-traditional structure. Be sure to watch the movie in the next three days.

I am obnoxious and disliked, that can not be denied.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:19pm

I have a never seen a production or the film. I wish I could get to this…


54 Sings 1776

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:20pm

This is one of my favorite movie musicals. I love the quick wit and the wonderful score. I just watched it the other night and have been humming "He Plays the Violin" ever since.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:26pm

I think one of the things that's so impressive about 1776 is that it manages to create and maintain dramatic tension about something we all know the outcome of.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:26pm

The film is airing on TCM at 1:30PM (ET) this Friday. I watch it every year,although they sometimes give it an odd place on the schedule.

One of the best musicals ever written, IMHO.

EDIT: If you don't get TCM, you can stream it online. I can't express how thankful I am for this channel:


Stream TCM Live Updated On: 7/2/14 at 01:26 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:28pm

It's such a great show. One of the best.

Namo, you really need to find time to catch the movie version. It's wonderful.

[MCfan2]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:43pm

I will definitely be watching it again. Glad they're airing it in the afternoon this time, instead of in the small hours of the night!

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:45pm

It's remarkable the film was not more successful- it preserved almost the entire Broadway cast, opened up the film just enough and is beautifully photographed. Extremely well done.

I guess it doesn't get the love because it isn't a "traditional" musical. And Taz, you are absolutely right- who would have guessed you could build so much suspense over whether the US would split with Britain?

[musikman]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 1:56pm

^ What tazber said. I think it's one of the most successful musical to screen transfers ever made. It's wonderful to have most of the original cast reprising their roles on screen. The book is so strong - including the almost 35 minute long scene without any songs or musical underscoring (!!) - that it could almost be considered a play with music. The score is also incredibly strong. It manages to be completely theatrical and "contemporary" while having a distinct classical/baroque sound to it.

Also, how apropos is "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" for today's Congress and goverment? I suppose some things never change.

We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp....

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:05pm

I remember wearing out several copies of the original cast album on LP back in the day. The movie soundtrack wasn't bad, either...but I don't think there's any way to get that today.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:08pm

Also, how apropos is "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" for today's Congress and goverment? I suppose some things never change.

I frequently listen to the OBCR on my commute (it's nice and short, so I can almost always listen to the entire thing), and am always struck by how incredibly relevant "most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor" still is.


Also, as charming as Blythe Danner is as Martha, I have to say that I've never heard anyone nail "He Plays the Violin" like Betty Buckley does on the cast recording. The joy, the belting, the way she navigates the key change - it's all brilliant.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:30pm

1776 is one of my favorites. Remarkably historically accurate, often taking the actual words of Adams and the others, and the liberties it does take remain true to the events it depicts. It also manages to create two compelling female roles in a very male-driven time. It celebrates America's birth without shying away from the less than savory details.

Also, I don't think there's a single dud in the score.

Updated On: 7/2/14 at 02:30 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:35pm

Does one have to be American to like it? I haven't seen the film since I was a teen, but I found it horribly dull...

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:35pm

I love the show and the movie. And while I certainly wouldn’t call it a “dud,” I usually skip “Momma, Look Sharp” on the recording, as I find, without the rest of the show leading me into it, as a song on its own, it’s a little boring.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:35pm

"Does one have to be American to like it?"

Yes

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:36pm

I have to say that I've never heard anyone nail "He Plays the Violin" like Betty Buckley does on the cast recording. The joy, the belting, the way she navigates the key change - it's all brilliant.

I love Buckley's recording of the song. I'm just not that keen on Danner as a singer.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:40pm

“I'm just not that keen on Danner as a singer.”

OT, Phyl, but – and I may get lambasted for saying this – she’s my favorite performance of your namesake I’ve seen. Her “Could I Leave You?” lives on in my memory. The sting she gave “Guess!” at the end was searing, vicious, and deeply pained. She was easily the best thing about that revival.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:45pm

I actually don't even really like Buckley that much, but that recording of that song is perfect.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 2:51pm

It is, without question, my all-time favorite musical. I first saw it at a high school in NJ, with a 15-year-old girl tearing it up as John Hancock. I got to see the 1997 Broadway revival both at the intimate Criterion Center and the enormous Gershwin, and loved it both times.

And yes...you should see the 54 Below Sings 1776 concert that Namo linked to above...and not just cause I'm singing the role of Livingston and hosting the show. The men and women are fantastic, and it features three cast members from that '97 revival I loved so much! Use the code Early50 to get 50% off the cover charge.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:02pm

It really is a remarkable piece of musical theater. It's one of the most unusual and original yet absolutely wonderful musicals ever! The score is great, and the book scenes are surprisingly engaging despite the somewhat dry story they tell.

So glad they're playing it in the afternoon this year. It was on 1:30 AM last year - not even on the fourth anymore! Of course it wouldn't be as troublesome this year being a Friday.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:02pm

You won't get lambasted, at least not by me, growl, because a production of Follies with Danner never happened. Do you hear me? It NEVER HAPPENED!

Robbie, I wish I could be there. Tell John to sit down for me.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:03pm

"'Does one have to be American to like it?'

Yes "

Well thank God we don't have a Canadian history musical.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:04pm

One of the first musicals I was exposed to that made me say "Hey, this is pretty cool". For years watched the movie every 4th on WOR in New York, then finally went for broke, dropped the $10 and bought the director's cut DVD a few years ago. Got to see the revival in 1997 but regrettably never got to see the original on stage.
Updated On: 7/2/14 at 03:04 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:05pm

I have always been bored by this show. But I do have a friend that adores it and makes it sport to try to see many productions of it.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/2/14 at 3:11pm

I love 1776 tons. I think it's got a terrific book, which, when done well (and I didn't think the Roundabout revival with Data was done well), is just thrilling. The score is a gorgeous example of being inspired by the period in which the show is set, but opening up the musical language to be more than just a period pastiche.

And the movie is, I think, one of the best stage to film versions of a musical.