From left, Sara Davitch (as Virginia’s Richard Lee) and Silas Blocker (as Thomas Jefferson) rehearse a scene.
From left, Lucas Bickford (Ben Franklin) and Alyce Visioli (John Adams) read a discarded draft of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.See ‘1776’
The curtain rises Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27, at 1 and 7 p.m.; Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, May 4, at 1 and 7 p.m. Enter through door 18. The show runs some 2-1/2 hours and is recommended for ages 10 and above.
Tickets are at wtwdrama.org and are on a sliding, pay-what-you-can scale, ranging from $10 to $50 VIP tickets that include reserved parking, preferred seating, a signed playbill or poster, plus a trading card.
“I hope it encourages people to get out and exercise their right to vote.”
— ‘1776’ Director Chris Rushing
Featuring a cast and crew of 90, plus a 25-person pit orchestra, Woodson High’s upcoming musical, “1776,” is also its Cappies entry. It focuses on America’s Founding Fathers before the Revolutionary War as the colonies prepare to hopefully become independent from England.
“I love this musical because it does two things no other musical does,” said Director Chris Rushing. “It’s a love letter to America but acknowledges both the wonderful and critical things about it, including slavery.
“The other amazing thing is that – we all know how this play’s going to turn out – but it’s so tense and compelling that I forget and wonder how in the world is John Adams going to pull this off and get everybody to agree, because all the colonies have such different points of view. And no other country had ever broken away from its mother country, in the history of the world.”
The curtain rises Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27, at 1 and 7 p.m.; Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, May 4, at 1 and 7 p.m. Enter through door 18. The show runs some 2-1/2 hours and is recommended for ages 10 and above.
Tickets are at wtwdrama.org and are on a sliding, pay-what-you-can scale, ranging from $10 to $50 VIP tickets that include reserved parking, preferred seating, a signed playbill or poster, plus a trading card.
With people’s faith in politicians at a historical low nowadays, Rushing said this play shows that “people don’t have to agree with or even like each other. But they can still come together in the democratic process to improve America for its citizens. It’s an important reminder that the Founding Fathers were great people, but still just humans doing their best. And I hope it encourages people to get out and exercise their right to vote.”
A recent Broadway revival of “1776” was performed with the male roles mainly being played by women, and Woodson is doing likewise. The Theater Department’s theme this year is “Young People Taking Back Power,” and this musical is about that happening in the past.
“I picked this show for these students because I knew I had a really strong group of actors who could do it,” said Rushing. “It’s a long script that contains the longest speaking scene for actors within a musical in Broadway history.”
The action takes place in and around the Philadelphia Statehouse, and Rushing said audiences will enjoy this production because “it’s funny and moving, has romance and is steeped in history with beautiful music. And it portrays these important people as human beings.”
Senior Alyce Visioli plays John Adams. “He’s a go-getter, enthusiastic about independence and has a one-track mind about it,” she said. “He’s a lawyer and farmer who’s representing Massachusetts at the Colonial Convention in Philadelphia. He’s loyal to the cause and also to those around him and his wife.”
She loves her role because “Adams is similar to me since we’re both short and spunky and not afraid to speak our minds when passionate about something. He’s the driving force pushing the 13 colonies to become independent. People don’t think of the Founding Fathers as having personalities and flaws, but this musical lets us show these things.”
Visioli said playing the lead enables her to work with different actors in each scene. “I have lots of lines to memorize, but it’s worth it,” she said. Her favorite song is one she sings, “Is Anybody There?” because it’s the only time Adams is feeling down. “But he bounces back,” said Visioli. “And the title refers to him breaking the fourth wall and asking the citizens and members of the Continental Congress, ‘Is anybody there? Does anybody care, does anybody see what I see?’”
She said audiences will like “getting to know the Founding Fathers more and how America was created – and how it also didn’t happen. The message is that there’s still time to make changes, even today, and we should protect this country’s daily life because lots of blood, sweat and tears went into making it.”
Portraying Ben Franklin is senior Lucas Bickford. “He’s a great foil to Adams, who charges headfirst into every debate and argument without heed for the social backlash he might get,” explained Bickford. “Franklin’s much slyer about getting what he wants. He’s a fan of Socrates and asks seemingly innocent questions to prove his point. He refers to himself as a businessman and printer and takes pride in being successful in business because of his frugality and innovation.”
“He’s also intelligent and efficient,” continued Bickford. “Franklin tries to change people’s minds by using humor and heart, so they’ll support the vote on independence. He and Adams grate on each other and create some really funny dynamics. Franklin’s good-natured and tries to make people laugh; he has some of the funniest lines.
“He doesn’t care about his reputation or what people think about him. And he’s not self-conscious about his behavior, so I can do lots of fun, goofy things on stage that other characters can’t. But it’s clear he cares as deeply about American independence as Adams does.”
Bickford especially likes the song, “But Mr. Adams,” sung by Franklin, Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston – the five men in charge of creating the Declaration of Independence. “They’re trying to decide who should write it, and only Adams wants to,” said Bickford. “But he can’t because no one in Congress likes him. So Adams tries convincing one of the others to write it, and they’re offering excuses why they can’t. It’s a funny song with silly choreography.”
He said audiences will appreciate the show’s humor and witty writing that’s “just as intelligent as ‘Hamilton’ – the other musical about the American Revolution – and ‘1776’ predates ‘Hamilton’ by almost 60 years. And it’s impressive that the story is as engaging as it is, without being sung in rap.”
Senior Ian Conner plays Andrew McNair, who later rang the Liberty Bell to announce the Declaration’s completion. “As the congressional custodian, most of the time he’s fetching drinks and opening windows for the Congress members,” said Conner. “His job is tending to the Philadelphia capitol building, and he wants nothing more than for this Declaration writing to be done so things can return to normal.”
Calling McNair “gruff and anti-establishment,” Conner said, “There was nothing more anti-establishment in the history of the world than declaring independence from England. My character has a punk vibe, as shown by his black leather jacket with spikes, plus punk bands’ logos covering the back.”
He loves playing McNair because “I’m always on my feet and running all over the stage to wait on someone. And I can create different relationships for him with the various congresspeople. My main song is ‘Mama, Look Sharp.’ It’s heartbreaking and is from the perspective of a soldier who’s seen his friends die in battle – and he realizes they’ll never see their mothers again. And since McNair’s also a courier, he has to deliver this tragic news to them.”
Conner described this show as “a fresh take on a classic musical because it leans so far into the punk aspect. And because we’re students doing it, our set is created with desks and chalkboards. Each colony’s symbol, such as Virginia’s cardinal, is drawn on the chalkboards to reflect what students would carve on their desks. Our music is gorgeous, jaw-dropping and so well-sung by everyone, and the songs are all different in their moods and tempos.”
Costume designers Katy Nguyen and Amalia Manow created some 32 costumes. “We mainly designed men’s overcoats over blouses, with pants looking like breeches,” said Nguyen, a junior. “And the black boots have buckles. Those for independence wear more punk elements like leather straps and metal squares called stubs. Their clothes have some wear and tear, like patches, to show they’re rugged free-thinkers, different from everyone else.”
Those against independence wear costumes with feathers, flowers, bows, lace and ribbons – frilly and with more accessories – illustrating that they’re the ideological opposite of the punks. “And since many of them had slaves on their plantations to grow crops, we have plants ‘growing’ on their outfits to show where their wealth really comes from,” explained Nguyen. “It was satisfying seeing each piece come together and then each character wearing their costumes.”
Overall, she said, the audience will enjoy “the fun aesthetic of this musical’s costumes, set, props, actors and technical aspects. They’ll appreciate how everything blends well and all the hard work that went into it.”