Patriotic laughs abound in
SLOA's production of 1776
Reviewed by Joe Blenkle/Sacramento Stage & Theatre

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Left to right: Jay Garner as Ben Franklin, Tammy Amerson as Martha Jefferson, Matthew Ashford as Thomas Jefferson and James Brennan as John Adams star in 1776, playing at the Community Center Theater through Feb. 7, 1999. Photo by: Catherine Davis.

    Okay...it may or may not have happened that way. But Sacramento Light Opera Association's production of the Tony Award winning 1776 brought smiles to everyone's faces and gave Sacramento a hysterical historical look at the events leading up to and surrounding the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence.
    For those of us who have long since forgotten our history lessons, 1776 was a delightful way to refresh our memory of the birth of the United States of America.
    As 1776 begins, the month is May and Congress is doing what it does best - sitting around not doing much of anything.
    But as in any group, there is a troublemaker. His name, in this case, is John Adams (James Brennan), and he not-so-quietly is trying to persuade the rest of Congress that America should declare its independence from the tyrannical King of England.

CAST OF "1776":   John Hancock - William McCauley   Dr. Josiah Bartlett - Kevin Reed   John Adams - James Brennan   Stephen Hopkins - John Z. Ickes   Roger Sherman - Christian Bohm   Lewis Morris - Joaquin Romaguera   Robert Livingston - Clark Kelso   Rev. John Witherspoon - Brent Keast   Benjamin Frankin - Jay Garner   John Dickinson - Mark Zimmerman   James Wilson - John Dewar   Caesar Rodney - Gary Lee Reed   Col. Tom McKean - Matthew Kimbrough   George Read - Robert Klingman   Samuel Chase - Ric Stoneback   Richard Henry Lee - Ed Staudenmayer   Thomas Jefferson - Matthew Ashford   Joseph Hewes - N. Cameron Doyel   Edward Rutledge - James Clow   Dr. Lyman Hall - R.F. Daley   Charles Thomson - Doug Carfrae   Andrew McNair - Tom Demenkoff   Abigail Adams - Sarah Tattersall   Martha Jefferson - Tammy Amerson   A Leather Apron, A Painter - Mario Lara   A Courier - Deven May

    Adams, along with his friends Ben Franklin (Jay Garner) and Thomas Jefferson (Matthew Ashford) undertake the monumental task of swaying Congress over to their way of thinking - independence from England.
    A bare majority of Congress agrees, but because of a motion by Pennsylvania's John Dickinson, it's declared that any resolution for independence must be passed by a unanimous vote.
    So ensues the comedic, but sometimes serious, story of how Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and friends persuade the rest of Congress that independence is the right thing to do.
    Of course, this declaration must first be set into words, so Adams picks Jefferson to pen the document. Jefferson has his mind on other things, however - his beautiful young wife back home. Adams' solution? He brings Martha Jefferson to Philadelphia so Thomas can get down to business - writing the declaration, of course.
    It's a wonder it ever got done!

James Brennan and Sarah Tattersall as John and Abigail Adams in SLOA's production of 1776. Photo by: Catherine Davis.

    As 1776 was a production of the SLOA rather than a national tour, Broadway Series patrons got the chance to see some of their Music Circus favorites up on the "big stage."
    James Brennan, who played John Adams, has appeared a number of times under the Music Circus tent, including most recently as Henry Higgins in the 1997 production of MY FAIR LADY.
    Sarah Tattersall (Abigail Adams), who played Eliza Doolittle opposite Brennan in MY FAIR LADY, is another Music Circus veteran, appearing in 21 different shows over nine seasons, including KISS ME, KATE, INTO THE WOODS, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS and OKLAHOMA! This was her first appearance in a Broadway Series production.
    Some of the other Music Circus vets include John Z. Ickes (Stephen Hopkins), Deven May (A Courier), Mark Zimmerman (John Dickinson), Christian Bohm (Roger Sherman), N. Cameron Doyel (Joseph Hewes), Clark Kelso (Robert Livingston), and Kevin Reed (Dr. Josiah Bartlett).
    In Sacramento for the first time were Jay Garner (Ben Franklin) and Matthew Ashford (Thomas Jefferson). Garner appeared on Broadway in the same role in the original production of 1776 and has a number of other Broadway appearances under his belt as well. He played a perfect Ben Franklin, with some of the best - and funniest lines in the show.
    Ashford was also outstanding in his role as Thomas Jefferson. But he is probably best known for his former role of Jack Deveraux on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. Ashford has also appeared in other theatre productions such as INTO THE WOODS, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and COUNSELOR AT LAW.
    1776 plays at the Community Center Theater through February 7, 1999. Tickets range in price from $15-$60. For ticket information call (916) 557-1999, (916) 264-5181, or (916) 923-BASS.
    Next up for the Broadway Series is JOLSON: THE MUSICAL, playing March 16-21, 1999, at the Community Center Theater.

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