Will Blum, John Treacy Egan and More to Star in 1776 at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse has revealed the complete cast and the creative team for 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical next up in Paper Mill’s 2025-2026 season. 1776 will begin performances on Wednesday, April 1 at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Directed by Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, 1776 will star Will Blum (Beetlejuice) as John Adams, John Treacy Egan (Clue and Sister Act at Paper Mill, Just in Time) as Benjamin Franklin, Edward Watts (Scandalous) as John Dickinson, James Moye (Come From Away and Bull Durham this season at Paper Mill, Tootsie) as John Hancock, Elena Shaddow (Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music at Paper Mill, The Bridges of Madison County) as Abigail Adams, Michael Burrell (Austen’s Pride First National Tour) as Thomas Jefferson, Jonathan Young (Les Misérables National Tour) as Edward Rutledge,Bryant Martin (Desperate Measures) as Richard Henry Lee, Liz Leclerc (Anything Goes at Pittsburgh CLO, Paper Mill’s Summer Conservatory alum) as Martha Jefferson, and Praise Oranika (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Idaho Shakespeare Festival) as the Courier.

The cast will also feature Joey Birchler as Lewis Morris, Jonathan Chisolm as Samuel Chase, Peyton Crim as Col. Thomas McKean, Aaron De Jesus as Robert Livingston, Sam Faustine as Dr. Lyman Hall,Philip Hoffman as Stephen Hopkins, Alec Ludacka as James Wilson, Kruz Maldonado as Leather Apron/Painter, Tuck Milligan as Andrew McNair, Stanton Morales as George Read, Jay Russell as Caesar Rodney, Bryan James Seastrom as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Paul Slade Smith as Rev. John Witherspoon, Graham Stevens as Joseph Hewes, Price Waldman as Charles Thomson, and Branch Woodman as Roger Sherman. Understudies are Noah LaPook and Claire Leyden. 

Paper Mill Playhouse celebrates our nation’s 250th anniversary, and history comes to life in 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical that brings the story behind the creation of the Declaration of Independence to the stage with witty satire, compelling drama, and a thrilling score. With music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone, 1776 follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their fellow delegates as they navigate fiery debates, political tensions, and personal conflicts in their struggle to unite thirteen colonies.