Video: First Look at 1776 at Maine State Music Theatre

A first look clip for Maine State Music Theatre's production of 1776 is now available, offering audiences an early glimpse at the Tony Award-winning musical as it opens its run at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick, Maine. The video previews the production ahead of its first performances, with the company billing the show as a celebration of America's 250th anniversary.

1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical when it opened on Broadway. The musical dramatizes the debates and political maneuvering surrounding the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress.

Amber Mak directs the MSMT production, with choreography by Christopher Page-Sanders and music direction by Jason Wetzel. The creative team also includes set design by Kevin Rupnik, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, and sound design by Shannon Slaton. Actor James Patterson leads the cast as John Adams, a role he discussed in a recent BroadwayWorld interview, describing Adams as "the central catalytic force in the entire drama."