One show on Broadway is making—and re-making—history every night.
The Tony Award-winning Best Musical 1776 has catapulted to blazing new life in a thrillingly new production, and New York Magazine/Vulture says, “it’s an absolute blast!” Suddenly, the songs, humor, and passion of this musical masterpiece soar as never before.
A glorious multiracial cast of female, transgender, and nonbinary actors portrays the fiery founders of this country, putting history in the hands of the humans who were left out the first time around—and the result is an epic show of passion, debate, and roof-raising musical fireworks. Experience “a 1776 worth celebrating!” (Variety) “It pulsates with energy and snaps with attitude.”
“AN ABSOLUTE BLAST. IT WINS YOU OVER IN MINUTES! I’m glad to have witnessed it. I want other people to witness it.” – James Frankie Thomas, New York Magazine
“FOUR STARS! YOU LEAVE THE PRODUCTION AMAZED!” – Adam Feldman, Time Out
“VERY FUNNY, WITH A JAUNTY AND TUNEFUL SCORE. A WIN FOR LIFE AND LIBERTY!” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
“A 1776 WORTH CELEBRATING! It pulsates with energy and snaps with attitude.” – Frank Rizzo, Variety
The remarkable revival of '1776,' cast entirely with female, transgender and nonbinary actors, is not as much about the pronouns as it is about a verb. Because the delightful ensemble owns the script and score of this 1969 musical as if the story of the signing of the Declaration of Independence were written explicitly about them. That sense of new ownership joyfully pervades this splendid production, which opened officially Thursday night at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre. Directors Jeffrey Page and Diane Paulus adhere to the philosophy of 'Hamilton's' Lin-Manuel Miranda, the founding father of the proposition that all men (and women and trans and nonbinary people) are created equal when it comes to serenading us about the birth of the country.
It wins you over in minutes. Though I spent the opening number puzzling over what the nontraditional casting was doing for the show - what statement it was making, how literally we were meant to interpret it, whether it was working too hard against the text - I soon ceased to notice it at all. The talent level is so high that the casting feels less conceptual and more incidental. Led by the charismatic Crystal Lucas-Perry as John Adams, the ensemble cast is a thrilling mix of Broadway veterans (including Carolee Carmello, resplendent in villain mode as John Dickinson) and newcomers. My favorites - it's the kind of show that encourages you to pick favorites - were Shawna Hamic, bombastic as Richard Henry Lee, Brooke Simpson, sparkly and adorable as Roger Sherman, and Patrena Murray, whose wry, understated performance as Benjamin Franklin feels definitive. But the shared energy and chemistry transcend any individual performance, and under the direction of Page and Paulus, everyone onstage seems to be having the time of their life.
| 1969 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 1970 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
| 1970 | West End |
London Production West End |
| 1970 | US Tour |
Bus and Truck Tour US Tour |
| 1997 | Broadway |
Roundabout Revival Broadway |
| 2007 | East Haddam, CT (Regional) |
Goodspeed Revival East Haddam, CT (Regional) |
| 2016 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Encores Concert Production Off-Broadway |
| 2022 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2023 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 1776 |
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