1776 Previews- Page 2

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 10/2/22 at 6:49pm

BCfitasafiddle said: "Going on Tuesday. Not sure what to expect, but looking forward to hearing this score on Broadway. First show I did in high school! Ah, memories."

You won't be disappointed! The score is absolutely beautiful! Especially the second act! "The Egg" is my favorite number! I won't spoil too much for you, but I would love to hear your thoughts after you see it!

[bk]

Posted: 10/3/22 at 7:50am

pethian said: "bk said: "The original B'way production ran two hours and ten minutes with no intermission. That's what it should run and there should never be an intermission."



I saw the original B'way production and there was an intermission after "MAMA LOOK SHARP."

"

Not unless it was at the very end of the run. There was NO intermission for at least most of the run and I'd have to see proof that it was added on B'way at any time.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/3/22 at 8:49am

I put on the GMA performance this weekend, and I really liked the orchestrations for "Sit Down, John". I really like the score, and Peter Stone's masterwork of the book. Although, this production just doesn't seem like it's for me. My wife came into the room and was like, "What is this? Did they put all women into Hamilton now?"

[kurtal]

Posted: 10/3/22 at 9:29am

I saw this on Saturday evening (Balcony center).

There was a lot to like here -- Cast standouts included Carolee Carmello, who was brilliant as Dickinson, Patrena Murray's Franklin, Elizabeth Davis's Jefferson, and Sara Porkalob's Rutledge.

The minimalism of the staging was effective.  The use of projections (with one key exception) was unobtrusively helpful.

I struggled a bit with the tone.  Lots of sharp and drastic tonal shifts throughout, from bedroom farce to biting contemporary social commentary to plodding historical drama.  I wish there had been some more consistency throughout.  

I thought Molasses and Rum was the most engaging number, and I think production would have been more successful if it had leaned more heavily in that direction throughout.  If you're gonna Daniel Fish it, use the whole damn school.

All of that said, I was pleased overall at the production and found plenty of compelling moments to walk away with.

7/10

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 10/3/22 at 9:41am

The other thing that blew my mind was Elizabeth Davis performing in the show while pregnant! 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 10/3/22 at 9:41am

bk said: "pethian said: "bk said: "The original B'way production ran two hours and ten minutes with no intermission. That's what it should run and there should never be an intermission."



I saw the original B'way production and there was an intermission after "MAMA LOOK SHARP."

"

Not unless it was at the very end of the run. There was NO intermission for at least most of the run and I'd have to see proof that it was added on B'way at any time."

Not true, actually. The intermission was first included in the Broadway run on July 23, 1970. Given it ran from March 1969 to February 1972, it actually ended up playing more performances with an intermission than without one.

[akhoya87]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 10:18am

For anyone who's seen this in previews and also saw the A.R.T. run - have they made any significant changes to the production since the A.R.T. run (other than casting)?  I had mixed feelings about what I saw at A.R.T., but if they made significant improvements, then I may go see this again.

[Time2LeaveTheWoods]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:30pm

Count me as staunchly conflicted after the GMA performance. Something about John Adams belting “Someone ought to open up a window” is… not sitting right with me? 
 

I’m also a long time fan of this musical, and sincerely hope nothing but the best for any production of this show, but it’s slowly moving down on my “Must See” list.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:37pm

I had low expectations for this production based on the reception in Boston, but my friend and I got good Broadway Week tickets for the day of the Flea Market and gave it a try. 

Maybe those low expectations helped, but I really enjoyed it. The performances and the physical production were excellent (if, in the latter case, very small-scale), and, despite the unconventional approach, the show itself really shone through. All the humor and conflict were fully intact, along with the well-stated critique of our system, positive and negative.

I think the casting concept mostly added to the effect of this production, except (oddly enough) in the case of "Molasses to Rum," where the staging seemed at odds with the overall concept, somehow. I don't think anything about the show was heavy-handed, even the 20th-/21st-century slide montage, which has simply lost some of its jolt due to the use of similar effects in shows such as Assassins and Paradise Square.

I'm glad I saw it. We're off to a brisk start on what promises to be a marquee year for musical revivals. 

Updated On: 10/4/22 at 05:37 PM

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:43pm

Man if I am a regional theater who committed to this tour I would be pretty anxious right now

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 5:58pm

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:52pm

Time2LeaveTheWoods said: "Count me as staunchly conflicted after the GMA performance. Something about John Adams belting “Someone ought to open up a window” is… not sitting right with me?

This bothered me as well, because I think it changes the meaning of the song as a whole. The way the song is structured, Adams is singing only "Vote Yes for Independancy" over and over, trying to get the debate going, but the congress surrounding him is only interested in arguing about whether or not to open a window. If Adams is also participating in the window debate, or co-opts it for his own purposes, then the congress is just united in being against him. The phrase "Someone ought to open up a window" becomes a metaphor Adams is using instead of a complaint about something petty that these idiots shouldn't be focusing on. Does it mean I think the show is ruined? No. Does it change the meaning of the song? Definitely. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 11:22pm

I liked more than I disliked, but it is a mixed bag. Overall I guess my main takeaway is that there are a ton of really talented people involved and they would have been better off doing a new show instead of trying to morph 1776 into something it’s not. It feels more like an interesting thought experiment than a great revival of a good musical.

Some of the new musical arrangements are very good. I found new colors in the show, which is what a revival should do. Other choices are questionable. (Molasses to Rum arranged like a bossa nova James Bond song, yet I dug the staging.) Mama Look Sharp killed, but that song is always a highlight  

Eryn LeCroy is the clear MVP of the night as Martha Jefferson & Lyman Hall. It’s a complete performance and such a necessary dose of levity. Elizabeth Davis brought a lot more to Jefferson than most men I’ve seen in the role…and she looks like she’s about to give birth any day now. Didn’t like Adams (Is AnybodybThere was such a letdown) or Lee. thought Rutledge and Carolee were just okay. Some of these performers cannot make the language work. LOVED Ben Franklin. Overall this show will lead to good roles and career opportunities for some of these actors.

You have to admire how consistently good Diane Paulus’ work on Broadway has been. Yes this is her weakest production, but it is more interestingly staged than most productions of the show. The projections worked really well (except during one number where current events were shown) but the set overall leaves much to be desired.

I don’t really know how this will be received by NY critics, but I guess we will find out soon.

Updated On: 10/4/22 at 11:22 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 11:39am

Someone let me know their thoughts, but if you have women playing all the men, doesn't that diminish the relevance of the two women characters in the work? One of the reasons Martha's sole appearance is so strong is that the whole show so strongly emphasizes the entirely male atmosphere, and the need (and not just physical, for all the jokes) for a female presence, especially for the more thoughtful, romantic Thomas Jefferson. With a female cast, I can't see this really coming across.

Similarly, Abigail gives opens up for us the vulnerable, fragile, lonely side of John. And, as with Thomas Jefferson, it serves in a sense as a way to bring out the feminine side within him, not just the desire to have his wife near him. I can't see how any of this plays as the show has been re-imagined. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 1:55pm

Dylan Smith4 said: "BCfitasafiddle said: "Going on Tuesday. Not sure what to expect, but looking forward to hearing this score on Broadway. First show I did in high school! Ah, memories."

You won't be disappointed! The score is absolutely beautiful! Especially the second act! "The Egg" is my favorite number! I won't spoil too much for you, but I would love to hear your thoughts after you see it!"

 

Well, I saw it last night. Sadly, I really disliked it. Went in with an open mind and wanted to appreciate the approach. However, I felt so talked down to. Did they really need that much mugging / direct address? Aside from Carolee Carmello and Eryn Leroy I found everyone to be painful to watch and listen to. 

I found the arrangements pretty dreadful. "The Egg" number was startling especially (the visual and sound of it). I don't know. I can see why people may like it, but I really did not. When you establish a concept for a production do you really need to keep reminding the audience what it is? I found the direction so predictable.  

That being said, it reignited my love for the original cast recording. As soon as I left the theatre I felt the need to listen to it. What a genius show. I would've loved to have seen an all female cast of it, just not this take on it. I think it would've been so much more effective to not have the direction comment on the concept itself. Just let it be what it is. Women in these roles: without acknowledging it. 

I got the sense that everyone was in a different show. Some performers were playing their roles as women, others were portraying their character as the man. I found Carolee to be most the one most consistently in the world of 1776 - the show itself. Others were painful to watch because they didn't know what story they were telling. As Adams would say "Good God."

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 3:17pm

Before I saw this production, I didn't think it could be possible to "ruin" The Lees of Old Virginia.  But man, that number was painful to watch (and listen to).  Was the actor directed to act and sound like Foghorn Leghorn?

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 3:21pm

JSquared2 said: "Before I saw this production, I didn't think it could be possible to "ruin"The Lees of Old Virginia.But man, that number was painful to watch (and listen to). Was the actor directed to act and sound like Foghorn Leghorn?



"

Oh yeah. That was painful. Honestly, the reactions from the audience for the whole show were very mild. For a show I consider to have some FANTASTIC jokes... I heard no laughs. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/5/22 at 8:00pm

Well this is cool: per Instagram, both Carolee Carmelo and Joanna Glushak are celebrating their 15th Broadway shows with 1776! Both have done Urinetown, Les Mis, and Finding Neverland; each started in a legendary musical (City of Angels and Sunday in the Park); and both have done big flops (Rags; Lestat).

(IBDB only lists 11 for Joanna but she might be counting tours too; either way, it’s impressive!)

[MsPiety&Rectitude]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 1:03pm

I went in cautiously optimistic, but unfortunately did not find much to love. Some highlights: I loved Carolee Carmello as Dickinson. She gave such a full portrayal of her character, was funny when called for, and had the most stirring musical performance of the night with her song at the top of act 2. Loved Elizabeth Davis as Jefferson, her performance was thoughtful, humorous, and extremely focused. Eryn LeCroy sounded great, but the interpretation of He Plays the Violin did not do it for me. I felt that the script already makes it so abundantly clear that Thomas & Martha Jefferson are dying to have sex that I would have fully understood the double-entendres of her song without the over-the-top indicating toward sex. Unfortunately, I found Crystal Lucas-Perry to be extremely underwhelming as Adams. Her acting felt stiff and amateurish. But worse to me was Patrena Murray as Benjamin Franklin... it honestly seemed like she had never acted before in her life. I wasn't familiar with the show, but I've heard a lot of people talk about how funny it is. I could hear that some of Franklin's lines could have been very funny if they had been played better, but Murray basically just says all of her lines in the same plodding way. With such a flat central duo of Adams and Franklin, the show was hard to enjoy. In fact, very few people in the cast were funny, most jokes fell flat, and the audience did not seem to be very into it. A lot of the performances were really subpar for Broadway, with acting that would be more at home on a high school stage. I wasn't bored but I was not entertained, and the moments where the cast would turn out and implicate the audience were cringe-inducing. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 1:58pm

MsPiety&Rectitude said: "I found Crystal Lucas-Perry to be extremely underwhelming as Adams. Her acting felt stiff and amateurish."

My response to the GMA performance. I felt she missed entirely Adams' rigidly, belligerence--and drive because he is so angry at Congress for refusing to address the crucial subject at hand. I get that when you have as definitive a reading as William Daniels', any later interpretation can be unfairly dismissed, but she honestly came across as a high school drama student. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 5:03pm

I loved it. It did take a moment to adjust to a pregnant Thomas Jefferson, but overall - it was thrilling.

He Played The Violin and The Lees of Old Virginia were highlights

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 8:13pm

https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/review-1776-broadway-2022_94387.html

"1776 Returns to Broadway in a Terminally Woke Revival That Misses the Point"

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 9:34pm

TaffyDavenport said: "https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/review-1776-broadway-2022_94387.html

"1776 Returns to Broadway in a Terminally Woke Revival That Misses the Point""

Oh dear god! The term "Woke" drives me crazy enough! Now, Broadway is being accused of being "woke"?

[akhoya87]

Posted: 10/6/22 at 11:17pm

Question about Martha Jefferson / He Plays the Violin (spoilers ahoy):

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

When I saw this at A.R.T., Eryn LeCroy sang the third verse ("When heaven calls to me / sing me no sad elegy . . . ." in a somber way, as if to allude to the fact that Martha Jefferson died rather young (at 33).  At least, that's how I interpreted it.  I was ambivalent about this choice - I liked how poignant and poetic it was, but seemed to not be in character with how the song is usually played.

Did they keep this choice for the Broadway run?

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 10/7/22 at 12:26pm

Does this show have any gun shots in it?