Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during a certain conversation? One lengthy debate that would have been particularly interesting to listen in on is the Founding Fathers’ creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Lucky for us, Milwaukee Opera Theatre is giving the city that very opportunity with its one-night-only concert presentation of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s musical, 1776, directed by Paula Suozzi.
While this is a concert presentation—meaning the cast of 26 actors will perform with scripts in hand—the piece includes staging, some props and plenty of music. “The beginning of 1776 unfolds almost like an operetta—most of the material is sung,” says MOT’s artistic director and producer of 1776, Jill Anna Ponasik. “It is rooted in the tradition of American musical theater. We have a small band of piano, percussion, cello and violin, and the cellist and violinist are also playing congressional delegates!”
This re-conceptualization of the Founding Fathers and their fight for freedom features a stellar cast that includes Claudio Parrone as Roger Sherman; Alison Mary Myers as Robert Livingston; Jonathan West as Benjamin Franklin; David Flores as Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon; Karen Estrada as Richard Henry Lee; Marti Gobel as Dr. Lyman Hall; Natalie Ford as Martha Jefferson; and Jack Forbes Wilson on the piano.
“Audiences can look forward to an immersive experience as they watch 1776 unfold all around them. Though it’s fictionalized to some extent, it is firmly based in the actual happenings that lead to the American Revolution. Much of the text between John and Abigail Adams in the musical is taken from their actual letters. I think surprise may come in the realization that the people who founded our country engaged in vigorous debate about highly controversial subjects. They were not all of one mind,” says Ponasik. “1776 begins with a song in which the congressional delegates cannot agree on whether or not to open or close a window. By the end of the piece, they move beyond their individual differences and, for the greater good, sign the Declaration of Independence.”
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See 1776 on Monday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Turner Hall Ballroom, 1034 N. Fourth St. For more information and tickets, call 800-838-3006 or visit milwaukeeoperatheatre.org.
