1776 Revival (Broadway P/reviews) - News & Discussion Thread

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:16pm

The workshop cast features: Nancy Anderson (George Read of DE), Becca Ayers (Col. Thomas McKean of DE), Tiffani Barbour (Custodian Andrew McNair), Allison Blackwell (Robert Livingston of NY), Hannah Cruz (Judge James Wilson of PA), Allyson Kaye Daniel (Abigail Adams / Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon of NJ), Elizabeth A. Davis (Thomas Jefferson of VA), Mehry Eslaminia (Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress), Joanna Glushak (Stephen Hopkins of RI), Shawna Hamic (Richard Henry Lee of VA), Eryn LeCroy (Martha Jefferson / Dr. Lyman Hall of GA), Crystal Lucas-Perry (John Adams of MA), Liz Mikel (John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress), Patrena Murray (Benjamin Franklin of PA), Kerry O'Malley (John Dickinson of PA), Oneika Phillips (Joseph Hewes of NC), Lulu Picart (Samuel Chase of MD), Sara Porkalob (Edward Rutledge of SC), BROOKE SIMPSON (Roger Sherman of CT), Salome Smith (Courier), SAV SOUZA (Dr. Josiah Bartlett of NH), Grace Stockdale (Standby), Jill Vallery (Caesar Rodney of DE), IMANI PEARL WILLIAMS (Standby).

From BroadwayWorld https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Cast-Gathers-for-1776-Workshop-Confirmed-for-Spring-2021-Broadway-Season-20200416

Updated On: 9/15/22 at 12:16 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:18pm

All very talented people but I just don’t “get” the concept here and what’s to be gained for the show by having an all female cast.

[raddersons]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:29pm

I don't think I realized this was going to be an all female production until now. Maybe it'll make me want to see it instead of rolling my eyes at how 1776 is a boring show about men.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:31pm

I mean it’s still a “boring show about men” but just being played by women. So...yeah.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:35pm

Anyone who would roll their eyes at the expert construction of 1776 needs to go back to Kindergarten. I'm all for seeing a show reinvented - should the director have a concept that indeed illuminate the story - but to say a show is boring and irrelevant because it is about men (or white men or old men or whatever misandric additive you'd like to insert) is flippant.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:40pm

Amen. The musical is brilliant and remains one of the great accomplishments of the American musical theatre.

[Arlove25]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:40pm

1776 is one of my personal favorites. Looking forward to seeing what Diane makes out of this concept and cast. (If it happens, that is!) 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 12:44pm

Jordan Catalano said: "All very talented people but I just don’t “get” the concept here and what’s to be gained for the show by having an all female cast."

Jordan, I had a chance to see a local production with gender-flipped casting. I think the story-telling aspect wasn't in any way affected by that decision. The performers were very good about portraying the characters as written in the play. The depth which got added was an massive undercurrent of irony - of how these supposed brilliant people who are driven so deeply by their sense of doing what's right and being free individuals were SO dismissive of their female counterparts. Various conflicts among the authors of Constitution re: equality of races has always existed in the play's text itself, but interestingly enough - there was never even a single serious conversation about gender equality except in Abigail's private letter to John. This gets uncomfortably explored in a very thorough way, without changing a single word, simply by flipping the gender of the cast. Only other woman who's written is Martha, and her role in the play is merely more than a muse. By having Jefferson be a women, what I immediately gained was this sense that his brilliance and his strength was actually driven from Martha. She was not just his wife, but his better half.

I honestly went in expecting the conceit to be super-hokey, cashing in on post-2016 wave of "woke" feminism which doesn't actually move the conversation forward. I was also not a fan of 1776 because of how boring I found the movie. I left a complete convert, on both the production as well as the play. 

[billis2]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:03pm

Valentina3, was the production you saw gender-flipped (Martha and Abigail were played by men) or all-women?  The concept you describe would work better if those roles were played by men, but the Roundabout casting is not that way.

One of the Roundabout cast members was born female but now identifies as non-binary, has had top surgery to remove their breasts, and uses they/them pronouns.  (This is all public information on their website.  No secrets here.)  There may be others who are non-binary as well.  I agree with Jordan that the concept seems really muddled to me.  I guess we'll have to wait for Diane Paulus to explain what she's going for here.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:08pm

I like the concept, but I haven't heard of any of these performers. What are some shows they've done?

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:16pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "I like the concept, but I haven't heard of any of these performers. What are some shows they've done?"

Elizabeth A. Davis was absolutely stunning in the Allegro revival. 

[LaneBryant]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:18pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "I like the concept, but I haven't heard of any of these performers. What are some shows they've done?"

Hey Alex - 

If you open another tab in your browser and head to google, you can type in their names and have your question answered in a jiffy!!! (read: You can't be serious. You have time. Look them up.)

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:19pm

billis2 said: "Valentina3, was the production you saw gender-flipped (Martha and Abigail were played by men) or all-women? The concept you describe would work better if those roles were played by men, but the Roundabout casting is not that way.

One of the Roundabout cast members was born female but now identifies as non-binary, has had top surgery to remove their breasts, and uses they/them pronouns. (This is all public information on their website. No secrets here.) There may be others who are non-binary as well. I agree with Jordan that the concept seems really muddled to me. I guess we'll have to wait for Diane Paulus to explain what she's going for here."

This article used this line: The entire multiracial company is made up of artists who identify as female, genderqueer, nonbinary, or trans.

https://www.theatermania.com/boston-theater/news/full-casting-1776-revival-diane-paulus_90903.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=16apr2020

 

[George in DC]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:21pm

I don't get it. Aren't there enough major roles in musicals for women that it becomes necessary to change the sex of the best male roles in amusical?  Now I know it's a show I can avoid.
 

[castlestreet]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:32pm

Normally I’m willing to give just about anything a try - but this concept has never sat well with me. It’s not a sexist thing-I just don’t see a need for it. I wouldn’t want to watch an all male production of Nine either.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 1:40pm

I love the creativity in this casting, but do disabled performers not exist? 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 2:12pm

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "I love the creativity in this casting, but do disabled performers not exist?"

OFFS give it a rest already.  Do you have medical reports on every actor listed in the press release?  Will you also be outraged if there isn't a hunchbacked dwarf in the cast?  If not, why not?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 2:12pm

disneybroadwayfan22 said: "I love the creativity in this casting, but do disabled performers not exist?"

OFFS give it a rest already.  Do you have medical reports on every actor listed in the press release?  Will you also be outraged if there isn't a hunchbacked dwarf in the cast?  If not, why not?

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 2:19pm

George in DC said: "I don't get it. Aren't there enough major roles in musicals for women that it becomes necessary to change the sex of the best male roles in amusical?.
"

Um, no, there aren't. Conversely, is there some compelling reason why some of the greatest roles ever created in musical theater should be closed off to actors simply because of their gender identity?

[George in DC]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 2:45pm

KnewItWhenIWasInFron said: "George in DC said: "I don't get it. Aren't there enough major roles in musicals for women that it becomes necessary to change the sex of the best male roles in amusical?.
"

Um, no, there aren't. Conversely, is there some compelling reason why some of the greatest roles ever created in musical theater should be closed off to actors simply because of their gender identity?"

 

Sure - get back to me when there is a male "Dolly" or "Mame" on Broadway. Or even an all male "Steel Magnolias" or "The Women"

 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 3:26pm

Well good old reliable BWW is descending into chaotic energy before the first preview. What else is new.

billis2 - the production I saw, Abigail and Martha were played by men. I actually didn't like that part in this production because they didn't play it like men - they played it how a female actress would have been directed, and kept drawing attention to the fact that something was amiss with casting. Exaggerated feminine attributes, frilly costumes, meek sweet smiles in a very submissive way - things you'd expect in a very old fashion period piece. There wasn't even a hint of the strong proud Abigail we're used to seeing in pop-culture representation of her. Martha's character made a "joke" by suggesting they wanted to get pegged. On the other hand, none of the female actors were doing the unnecessary "macho"-ness. There was innate casual-ness to their presence, which didn't keep drawing attention to their gender. The only deviation to that was when the performer playing John Adams unbuttoned the jacket on her pant-suit (yes, there was a strong Hillary vibe they were going for), the T-shirt she was wearing underneath said "Nevertheless, She Persisted". Which was kinda stupid and didn't go with the scene because it was literally about John giving up on banning slavery. It got a massive applause because this was very soon after the Warren-McConnell incident, but I was totally taken out of the moment. I don't want to be too harsh on these choices though, it was supposed to be a concert style-production.

I think a non-male perspective to this show could be fascinating. I agree with you all that it needs to have a point of view. It cannot be all female just for the sake of it. But I trust Paulus won't make us go through something shallow.

[Owen22]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 3:43pm

George in DC said: "KnewItWhenIWasInFron said:      "Sure - get back to me when there is a male "Dolly" or "Mame" on Broadway. Or even an all male "Steel Magnolias" or "The Women"

The first English actor to take over the role of Dolly Levi from Mary Martin on the West End was a man.

 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 3:52pm

Call me crazy, but this isn’t a creative decision or a “concept.” It’s pandering. Any show could be recast with gender switches. So what? It feels like they’re trying to reimagine history, but that’s already been done well enough with Hamilton. Back to the drawing board.

[cwilliams]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 4:10pm

This makes Hamilton look so out dated, I mean they haven't even had one "non binary" principal in their cast yet, so old fashioned. Personally, I'm waiting for the Fredrick Douglass musical starring Meryl Streep as Douglass. After all, art is about pushing boundaries, and while you might argue that you push boundaries and pose questions though the story and characters, that's kinda challenging ,turns out casting a "non gender comforing" person to play Thomas Jefferson is a much easier way to earn the same "woke" cred.

Updated On: 4/16/20 at 04:10 PM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 4/16/20 at 4:28pm

This makes no sense to me whatsoever. None.

As someone else said earlier, this is pandering. I'm able to pretty much accept the choices made in HAMILTON, but this 1776 is just absurd. For those here that do not like the show, how will an all female cast make it any better for you? I realize that for some, it will not make a difference. I also know that some will enjoy this and that's fine.

For me, the good news is that Diane Paulus has just saved me a few hundred dollars.