Marriott’s 1776 rises to meet the moment
If there is such a thing as the exact right musical at the exact right time, it has to be 1776 at the Marriott Theater this fall.
Before we talk about how the show rises to meet our current moment in American politics this election season, it’s important to note that the Marriott Theatre’s production would be remarkable at any point in history, regardless of the state of our nation.
With Sherman Edward’s music and lyrics and Peter Stone’s book, 1776 won three Tonys in 1969. And with a litany of thoughtful updates and creative choices by director Nick Bowling and the Marriott team–the multi-racial, gender-blind cast, foremost among these–the show is as entertaining and relevant as ever.
1776 tells the extraordinary story of the Second Continental Congress’s debate regarding the passage of the Declaration of Independence at a pivotal moment in the infancy of the American Revolution. With the perfect blend of witty dialogue, soaring oratory, and stirring music, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the other representatives from the thirteen colonies we’ve come to know as America’s Founders argue the merits of making a break with England and the principles of liberty and democracy that will form the foundation of the new nation. At first glance, this might seem like a musical Civics class, and it is, but it’s also one of the greatest—and most American—stories ever told.
The Marriott Theatre’s take on the founding of our nation hits on every level. Under Bowling’s skillful direction, the show rises with possibility and expectation in the first act, setting the stage for the ferocious arguments and momentous choices to come in the second act.
Once again, the music, dialogue, and choreography shine on the Marriott’s theatre-in-the-round stage. As an intense and immersive musical conversation, 1776 is perfectly suited for this setup, with the audience surrounding the Congress as it engages in the swirling, raucous, often hilarious, lyrically gorgeous, emotionally charged debate over the nature of freedom and the hope for a nation based on liberty.
Featuring a series of stellar performances, 1776 is essentially an ensemble production, but first among the delegates to the cause of freedom is John Adams, played to perfection by Tyrick Wiltez Jones. In his Marriott debut, Jones gives a stunning, tour de force performance as the always dynamic, at times abrasive, forever diligent, chief advocate for American independence. Jones channels John Adams’s ardent hopes for nationhood with boundless energy and skill, mirroring Adams’s brilliant performance in 1776 in Philadelphia with one of the finest performances of 2024 in Chicago musical theater. Jones is seemingly everywhere, with his fiery calls for freedom, cajoling of the delegates, and tender letters shared with his wife Abigail, played beautifully—in a near show-stealing performance—by Katherine Alexis Thomas.
Richard R. Henry plays the American legend Ben Franklin, known for his humor and witticisms, with brilliant comedic timing and insight. Henry gives a picture-perfect rendition of Franklin, hilarious and sweet, as he shepherds both Adams and American independence through the rising tension of the endless debates that steaming July.
As calm and sharp as Adams is loud and brash, Erik Hellman’s Thomas Jefferson is the perfect counterbalance to Jones’s Adams. Hellman gets the mix of Jefferson’s intellect and simmering passion for liberty just right.
While the passage of the Declaration of Independence may seem like a given today, the fierce debate over its adoption—with Pennsylvania farmer John Dickinson as Adams’s chief foil—was far from a sure thing. In her role as the clever, obstinate Dickinson, filled with scorn for Adams and disdain for the idea of separating from Mother England, Heidi Kettenring gives a wicked good performance. As does Matthew Hommel, with his blazing, ferocious defense of slavery in the face of Jefferson’s original passage in the Declaration calling out America’s most shameful institution as immoral.
With nothing but exceptional performances—Joel Gelman as Massachusetts’s John Hancock, Lucy Godinez as Virgina’s Richard Henry Lee, and Teddy Gales as Pennsylvania’s James Wilson, to name a few more—1776 is an ensemble piece without a single weak link.
And the creative team is every bit as good. Gorgeously choreographed by Tanji Harper, the actors move along with the action to the poetry of the dialogue and music.
Regina Garcia’s scenic design is both fitting and functional, as it brings the sweltering, mid-summer “room where it happened” in Philadelphia to life.
Teresa Ham’s creative, symbolic costume design cleverly places the characters firmly in both 1776 and today, with aristocratic colonial coats infused with the colors and hues of today’s political spectrum.
Led by music director Ryan T. Nelson, the Marriott Theatre’s killer orchestra once again swings and crushes, this time with a sharply patriotic colonial snare drum leading the way.
So, that’s the production: musical theater meets Americana, with civic virtue and historical connections galore, and, above all, it’s fun.
Again, it would be every bit as good in the best of times and the worst of times, but watching 1776 in its inaugural performance last night, right smack dab in the thick of this election season, was an extra moving experience, to say the least. Not only is it about as good a show as I’ve seen this year at the Marriott Theatre—or anywhere else, for that matter—it is the perfect show for right now.
1776 is downright good for the soul.
No one wants to read a theater critic’s bad punditry, so I’ll be quick. Let’s all agree we are facing a contentious, perhaps frightening moment in our nation’s history. Got it.
Here’s the thing: this musical probably won’t help with that, but in a small yet important way… it might.
Watching the founders of our country burst into delightful, at times moving, song serves as a pretty good reminder of the beautiful promise of our nation.
Watching Tyrick Wiltez Jones’s John Adams go toe to toe with Heidi Kittenring’s John Dickinson over the fate of our fledgling nation does wonders to place us in the context of American history, while reminding us that the vehemence of our current debate, while important, is only worth it when we remember to put our country first.
Put simply, if you love politics you should go see this musical. It’s like a two-and-a-half-hour episode of West Wing set to music. Right up your alley.
If our current political situation makes you want to go take a long hot shower to wash off the cable news stink, you should go see this musical. It will renew your faith in liberty and democracy and remind you what true patriotism looks like.
If you find this election utterly terrifying (me too), you should go see this musical. It will remind you we’ve been arguing since before the beginning of our country about the meaning of freedom. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
Above all, 1776 reminds us there have always been brave souls among us throughout our nation’s history who have kept their eyes on the prize and risen up in the face of ignorance and hatred, even when the outlook was bleak and the future seemed uncertain.
It reminds us together we find our way through.
