1776, Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley City, through Aug. 21 (984-9000). Running time: 2 1/2 (one intermission).
WEST VALLEY CITY — It's a humid, sultry, early summer day in Philadelphia. John Adams, a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, confronts the audience and exclaims:
"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."
Nearly 230 years later, some things haven't changed. Congressional delegates still wrangle over minute bills and issues.
The Fourth of July is just a few days behind us, but Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards' Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is a stunning reminder of the tense battle waged that hot summer over independence from Great Britain and the courage it took to found the United States of America.
Hale Centre Theatre delivers an exciting production that creates its own artistic fireworks — Andrew Barrus' carefully realized setting, Suzanne Carling's stunning costumes, Marilyn May Montgomery's period choreography, Kelly DeHaan's lush (but way too loud) taped orchestrations, Spencer Brown's lighting, Cynthia Johnson's beautiful wigs, Mike Williams' sound and Tamara Adams' finely paced direction.
And that's just for starters.
Any production of "1776" worth its "saltpetre and pins" requires a solid pool of talented actors who can sing and dance. This show has it.
There are 26 roles, barely a handful of which could be remotely considered "minor." Five of the show's characters are single-cast — including three as major characters.
Tom Drury delivers a Benjamin Franklin who delights in goading his colleagues, and Gabriel Hamilton, making his HCT debut, is perfectly cast as Thomas Jefferson, who reluctantly writes one of the most historic documents of all time.
The Saturday matinee cast (which also performs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings) included many show-stopping performances — notably Mark Knowles as firebrand John Adams, who continually stokes the independence controversy; Steven G. Schmid as Virginia's Richard Henry Lee, and Gardner Gee as pro-slavery delegate Edward Rutledge.
Ann Marshall is terrific as the ever-patient Abigail Adams, as are Emily Jeppson as Jefferson's loving bride, Martha, Kent D. Burrell as cantankerous John Dickinson, and Michael Guarino as the Continental Congress' president — the one who affixes his "John Hancock" with a flourish on the Declaration of Independence.
Sherman Edwards' music and lyrics propel the story of "1776." As the days (shown on a large calendar alongside the congressional tally board) move along, the tension builds along with the humidity. But the songs add an insightful dimension to those involved. They're not just names in a history book.
"1776" brings this pivotal part of United States history to life.
The sprightly "Cool, Cool Considerate Men" has John Dickinson and his group of die-hard conservatives dancing a gavotte "to the right, ever to the right, never to the left, forever to the right."
One of the most moving songs, "Momma, Look Sharp," has a courier from Gen. George Washington's beleaguered battlefront recollecting the deaths of two of his best friends. (Unfortunately, at this performance, Thayne Jasperson's microphone failed, leaving the audience straining to hear the poignant words.)
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