We went to 1776 at the Ahmanson last night. I was dreading it. After that awful version of Oklahoma I was sure this was going to be some anti-American butchering of what was once a wonderful musical (“It’s all white men! It’s evil! It must destroyed!”). I was at the point where I wanted to cancel our Ahmanson subscription. They can do any horrible thing they want to; I just won’t pay for it. Gordon talked me into giving them one more chance even though they’d move us back a row (I suspect because we gave them an honest opinion about Oklahoma; bad, bad, bad).
Well, the cast was all women but they didn’t trash the country. They didn’t change the dialogue or any of the music, they made the point that even though history just names the white men, all sorts of people were involved in our Revolution. The cast included a transexual, lots of black women, and a Native American woman (she had a great voice too). They added one line that I appreciated said by Abigail Adams, “Don’t forget the women, John.” And something to the effect that men would be tyrants if allowed. I thought they’d go nuts over the slavery issue which is a big part of the play but the woman who played Ben Franklin (black woman, by the way) pointed out that if the slavery clause wasn’t removed, the South would leave. And it was more important to start a new country even if the start wasn’t perfect. History proved that the slavery issue was finally resolved 90 years later–at tremendous cost to the country.
What I’ve always appreciated about this show is the pragmatism. We had to start somewhere and it proves the old saying, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” This country has never been perfect. But the miracle of the United States is that we keep trying. Nothing is etched in stone. It took a while but the slaves were freed. 160 years later women were allowed to vote. We’ll probably never be perfect but we bumble along, doing our best. That’s why I get so disgusted with so much of the rhetoric these days. My God, in very few places in the world is change even possible. The USA is one of them and we lead the way in many issues. This version of 1776 respected that position. And I appreciate that.
The sets were fragmented, of course; you have to be nimble with a traveling show. The voices were incredible. Tiesha Thomas who played Abigail Adams, and Connor Lyon, who played Martha Jefferson, really stood out for me. But the showstopper was “Molasses to Rum” sung by Kassandra Haddock. It’s a compelling, terrible song which points out the sins on both sides. Haddock was compelling yet wonderful in her interpretation and she was backed by interesting choreography. Also liked Joanna Glushak who played Rutlidge. Oh, they were all wonderful. One problem I had was the lack of characterization. The movement was stylized so all the actors were constrained within those limits. The woman who played Ben Franklin broke loose every now and again but it’s hard not to play that part broadly. Took some of the fun out of the show.
This was an interesting take on a beloved musical. I noticed a lot of empty seats after intermission. Have no idea why. But I didn’t walk out. And considering how I felt going in, that says a lot. I read in the paper that a new director of the Music Center has been appointed. His says his main goal is to get butts in the seats (paraphrasing). The theaters are going broke. Even the LA Times commented on the figurative tumbleweeds blowing in the plaza. If they didn’t paper the theaters there’d be no audience at all. They might consider commissioning plays that people will actually pay to see. Quit proselytizing and try entertaining for a change.
