Musicals Blog

A Patriotic Musical - "1776"

by Claire J Rottenberg


Since today is Barack Obama's inauguration day, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight a uniquely American musical, "1776." The Broadway version of "1776," which opened in 1969, was well-received by both audiences and critics. It ran for 1,217 performances and won 3 Tony awards, including the award for Best Musical. The 1972 movie version, although almost identical in cast and production, did not fair nearly as well.

"1776" depicts a somewhat fictionalized version of the writing and ratification of the United States Declaration of Independence. Some facts were altered for dramatic purposes while others were adapted from later periods in the main characters' lives. The historical characters of "1776" include John Adams, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Peter Stone wrote the book and screenplay for "1776," and the unmemorable score was composed by Sherman Edwards. Both the play and the movie starred primarily stage actors, including William Daniels, Howard Da Silva and Ken Howard.

The film version of "1776" was very long at 142 minutes and this may have been one reason it did not succeed as a movie. The subject, also, might not lend itself well to the movie musical genre. However, I did enjoy the film when I saw it many years ago.

"1776" Official Website

Information Sources
Wikipedia - "1776" Play
Wikipedia - "1776" Film