1776, based on the arguments and politics involved in the signing of the Declaration of Independence, opened on Broadway March 16, 1969, at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers).
The Peter Stone-Sherman Edwards musical, which was presented without intermission (a rarity for that era), follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy. The show ends with a dramatic signing of the Declaration of Independence.
With a book by Stone, music and lyrics by Edwards, direction by Peter Hunt, and musical staging by Onna White, the original cast featured William Daniels as John Adams, Clifford David as Edward Rutledge, Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin, David Ford as John Hancock, Ronald Holgate as Richard Henry Lee, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Vestoff as Abigail Adams, and a young Betty Buckley. The future Broadway icon made her Broadway debut as Martha Jefferson, dazzling audiences with a gloriously beautiful "He Plays the Violin." Her numerous gifts were obviously apparent from the very beginning—the Cats, Drood, and Sunset Boulevard star landed the 1776 gig on her very first day in New York City.
1776 was also a boon for the careers of Daniels and Howard, who went on to TV stardom in, respectively, St. Elsewhere and The White Shadow. The musical also established Stone as a leading librettist: He would eventually receive five Tony nominations for Best Book of a Musical, winning for Woman of the Year and Titanic.
In his review for The New York Times, Clive Barnes said 1776 "is a most striking, most gripping musical. I recommend it without reservation. It makes even an Englishman's heart beat a little bit faster. This is a musical with style, humanity, wit and passion."
Barnes added, "The musical will, I suspect, prove to be the sleeper of the season." And, he was right: 1776 subsequently received five 1969 Tony Award nominations, winning three: Best Musical, Best Featured Actor (Holgate),
and Best Direction (Hunt). The production would play a total of 1,217 performances (including transfers to the St. James Theatre and Majestic Theatre) before closing February 13,
1972, at the Majestic.
The 1972 film version, also directed by Hunt, featured many of the original Broadway cast members, including Daniels, Da Silva, and Howard. The screen adaptation received a 1973 Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for Harry Stradling Jr.
1776 has since been revived on Broadway twice. Directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, a 1997 revival for Roundabout Theatre Company starred Tom Aldredge, Michael Cumpsty, Dashiell Eaves, Gregg Edelman, Pat Hingle, Linda Emond, Merwin Foard, Brent Spiner, Paul Michael Valley, and Lauren Ward. This first Broadway revival received three Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.
A 2016 City Center Encores! production of the Tony-winning musical embraced diversity with a company that included John Behlmann as Thomas Jefferson, Nikki Renée Daniels as Martha Jefferson, André De Shields as Stephen Hopkins, Santino Fontana as John Adams, Alexander Gemignani as Edward Rutledge, John Larroquette as Benjamin Franklin, Christiane Noll as Abigail Adams, Bryce Pinkham as John Dickinson, and Jubilant Sykes as Richard Henry Lee. Garry Hynes directed with choreography by Chris Bailey.
Then in 2022, Roundabout again produced another revival. This most recent version made headlines for casting the Founding Fathers with a company of female, transgender, and non-binary actors. Among the cast: Nancy Anderson, Becca Ayers, Tiffani Barbour, Carolee Carmello, Elizabeth A. Davis, Joanna Glushak, Shawna Hamic, Liz Mikel, Patrena Murray, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Sav Souza. The production, co-directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus, was also co-produced by American Repertory Theater.
Besides making American history visceral for a generation of school children, 1776 has also had a lasting impact on musical theatre. It was an inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton—he quotes the song "Sit Down John" during his musical.
Learn what other theatre milestones happened on March 16 by visiting the Playbill Vault.
Below, look back on the original Broadway production of 1776.
