1776- Passion Revisited
We went to the Guthrie Theater on Thursday evening for the last of the past season's shows. It was the Tony Award winning musical, 1776. I had never seen the musical and had only a vague remembrance of the movie. The movie didn't particularly impress me, but that was a LONG time ago (35 years!) Or maybe my memory has faded - or- most likely this is one of those musicals that needs to be seen as a stage musical.

My wife and I were blown away. Wow! It may even be more relevant today than it was then. Here were a few things that struck us:

• We saw this the evening after all the hoopla with the Senate etc. Here's one of John Adams' opening lines:

I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress!

Hmmm!

• Two moments of spontaneous applause from the audience at the following comments:

John Adams: This is a revolution, dammit! We're going to have to offend SOMEbody!
Dr. Benjamin Franklin: Those who would give up some of their liberty in order to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

• Having read several of the books on Adams and the other Revolutionary Founding Fathers we were both amazed at how close to reality (for a musical) this was. It rightly portrayed the tough times they had.

• Nor did they cover-up the "slavery compromise" that took Jefferson's strong stand against it out of the Declaration in order to get the whole thing passed. But neither did they let the "north" off easy with the powerfully frightening song on Molasses to Rum:

  Molasses to rum to slaves, oh what a beautiful waltz
  You dance with us, we dance with you
  Molasses and rum and slaves

But perhaps what struck me the most was John Adams. Here was a true pioneer visionary who never shut up about it. He was obnoxious, challenging, loud, self-righteous- and right. He was committed to it and was more of its architect than just about anybody else. Yet he would probably have been forgotten behind Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, and Washington had he not been elected the 2nd President.

To watch it happen, even if it was a musical, was a great event. Thanks again to the Guthrie for a truly remarkable production.