Guest Blogger: James Beaman

One of the reasons I became enamored of acting as a child was the opportunity to put on period costumes and to imagine I was going back in time. It's one of the giddy pleasures of being an actor-dress up! And there are few periods that are quite as distinctive and fun as the 18th century. In this week's vlog post, I have my first fitting for my John Adams costume with designer Gail Baldoni.

One of the reasons I became enamored of acting as a child was the opportunity to put on period costumes and to imagine I was going back in time. It's one of the giddy pleasures of being an actor-dress up! And there are few periods that are quite as distinctive and fun as the 18th century. In this week's vlog post, I have my first fitting for my John Adams costume with designer Gail Baldoni.

My visit to the Massachusetts Historical Society was so fascinating that I had to devote two vlog posts to it! Librarian Peter Drummey and his colleague Sara Georgini know as much about the show 1776 as they do about the true history and the real John Adams. And they have great affection for the musical, pointing out some of the departures from the true story the writers took in creating a dramatically pleasing piece of theatre.

My visit to the Massachusetts Historical Society was so fascinating that I had to devote two vlog posts to it! Librarian Peter Drummey and his colleague Sara Georgini know as much about the show 1776 as they do about the true history and the real John Adams. And they have great affection for the musical, pointing out some of the departures from the true story the writers took in creating a dramatically pleasing piece of theatre.

One of the best things about researching John Adams is that he is one of the most documented men in American history, mainly due to his extensive journaling, and the preservation of his personal correspondence by the succeeding generations of the Adams family. These extraordinary documents offer a window into the mind and heart of this impassioned patriot. And fortunately for us all, they are lovingly preserved by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

My retracing of the steps of founding father John Adams took me this time all the way back to his beginnings, with a trip to the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, MA. Quincy was, in the 18th century, part of Braintree, the community where John Adams was born and raised, on a farm where four generations of Adamses had lived before him. Today the house where he was born and the house next door, where he and Abigail raised their family-and where they lived during the action of 1776-are preserved by the National Park Service, and on a rainy day in May I made a pilgrimag

My whirlwind day trip to the City of Brotherly Love continued with stops at as many places I could get to that either figure in the story of 1776 or might evoke 18th century Philadelphia. There are still some wonderful pockets of the city that are very much like they were a couple hundred years ago, the most charming of which is Elfreth's Alley. This little cobbled lane lined with quaint houses (all still residential homes) is the oldest residential street in America and looks just as it would have had John Adams himself strolled down it in the summer of '76.

I am a research fanatic; I admit it. With each role I play I become my own dramaturge, digging around to learn everything I can about the source material of the play, the period it is set in… anything that will enable me to get inside the skin of the character. Years ago, I created a series of solo shows in which I played screen siren Marlene Dietrich. I felt a huge responsibility, as I attempted to embody such an iconic and distinctive star, to see every film, listen to every recording, and read every book in my quest to be as authentic as possible in my portrayal. With 1776 and John Adams, I am dealing with American history and one of our founding fathers…Talk about responsibility!

I am a research fanatic; I admit it. With each role I play I become my own dramaturge, digging around to learn everything I can about the source material of the play, the period it is set in… anything that will enable me to get inside the skin of the character. Years ago, I created a series of solo shows in which I played screen siren Marlene Dietrich. I felt a huge responsibility, as I attempted to embody such an iconic and distinctive star, to see every film, listen to every recording, and read every book in my quest to be as authentic as possible in my portrayal. With 1776 and John Adams, I am dealing with American history and one of our founding fathers…Talk about responsibility!

Every actor has his or her dream roles. And so few of us get the chance to play them. One of the parts I have coveted for years is John Adams in the great American musical, 1776, and after numerous auditions for various productions, I have the chance to play the role this summer! To capture and share the process of preparing this role, which I will be performing at Cape Playhouse in July, I have created this video blog!