LOGAN — In light of the United States of America signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, all states around the union are celebrating “America250.” One way that Utah is celebrating is by producing the musical 1776 across multiple counties this weekend. As someone who grew up watching the 1972 movie version of this musical every year around July 4th, I was enthralled to see a nostalgic classic come to life on the stage. Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre’s production of this patriotic musical, directed by Vanessa Ballam, packs the vocal power, the visual grandeur, and the emotional heart of this script into one, (albeit long), evening of zealous fortitude. To put it in the words of 1776, “it’s a masterpiece I say, they will cheer every word, every letter.”
The musical 1776 sheds a light on our founding fathers that is not often seen. Instead of the usual reverent depiction of the Continental Congress, creator, composer, and lyricist Sherman Edwards and playwright Peter Stone use musical comedy, mild irreverence, and lots of wit to bring the historic characters to life. To begin, John Adams seems to be the only person in the Continental Congress that understands the urgency of independence from Britain! Adams, along with others like Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, must convince the rest of the delegates to vote for independence, taking the boldest step in revolutionary history that ever was at that point in time. Through heated debate, personal anguish, and eventual compromise, the Founding Fathers take the first step in forging the new United States of America in 1776.
If history is not your thing, or if the above description elicited a yawn similar to your middle school civics class, have no fear. From the opening number, “Sit Down, John,” Michael Ballam as John Adams brings energy and fervor to the already entertaining 1776 script. Ballam is the Founding General Director of UFOMT, reprising his role of the fiery John Adams from decades prior. The experienced opera singer, Ballam infuses his performance with his rich vibrato, soaring Adams’ musical agenda through the congressional chamber without ever showing signs of stopping. This is in line with the character of John Adams, as well as the direction of this particular production: UFOMT is here to celebrate the United States of America.
Matching Michael Ballam’s energy and skill is Jonathan Bryan as Edward Rutledge. With the show-stopping “Molasses to Rum,” Bryan commands the stage with a booming, powerful voice that befits his charismatically malicious performance as the South Carolinian delegate. His song is supposed to be uncomfortable for the other characters and the audience, and while that sentiment is very much felt, I also felt a sense of awe at having the chance to hear such a deliciously wicked performance live.
Supporting Bryan’s dominating performance, and all other performances, is the live band conducted by Karen Keltner. Keltner’s band is inscrutable, bolstering the beautiful score to new heights with each note. One performer who works especially well with the band is Tanner Doyle as Secretary Thomson. Even though Doyle speaks much more than he sings, his speaking voice is so pleasant to listen to, I was wanting to listen to him speak every line in the script. The secretarial cadence of Thomson’s character came easily to Doyle and made his “smaller” role that much more impressive to watch.
Similar to Doyle’s performance, Jake Stamatis as Pennsylvania’s contrarian John Dickinson is delightfully villainous. In a production with many cast members, it can be a challenge to command the stage. However, Stamatis does it with ease, utilizing the resonant tone of his voice as a tool in the perilous battle over independence. His cool, calculated line deliveries grow the primary antagonist of this musical into a theatrical giant onstage.
Dane Suarez as Richard Henry Lee is magnetic and lively, bringing boyish charm to the role of the prominent Virginia delegate. Suarez is the beacon for the many ensemble members that make up this cast, as his bright voice is one of many impressive vocal talents of the evening. In fact, the harmonies of the all male Continental Congress sound so full throughout the show that it sounds like a professional recording at times. Fitting for UFOMT, the singing across the board is star-spangling spectacular.
The strong celebratory nature of this production, resounding in lively performances from all, is an energizing way to communicate the joy of this subject matter to the audience, especially during this patriotic Fourth of July season. With that being said, the unstoppable energy of Ballam as Adams at times distracts from other actors’ performances onstage. Michael Sokol as Benjamin Franklin contrasts Ballam’s performance, highlighting the nuance of his character brilliantly by skillfully balancing Franklin’s jokes and his serious moments of reflection. Sokol uses the subtle tactic of briefly pausing before delivering a meaningful line, demanding the attention of all before softly diffusing wisdom.
The remarkable set design by William Forrester and Dennis Hassan utilizes forced perspective to ground the audience in the grandeur of the Continental Congress hall. The staggered steps provide ample opportunities for staging within and outside of the hall, and the levels within the set creates the sense of depth and volume that is often difficult to achieve in a small space with a large cast. Although sight lines to the most upstage characters are sometimes impeded, especially for Ben Norton as John Hancock, these impediments are not distracting. The lighting design by Michelle Habeck is subtle and strong in establishing the time of day and the tone of each scene. These two design elements complement each other to make a cohesive, realistic world of 1776 Philadelphia.
Other elements that root the audience into the setting of the musical are the costume design by CeCe Sickler and hair and makeup design by Melyssa Swensen. Other than all elements being extremely high quality, their designs meaningfully camouflage the age of the actors into the age of their characters. The colors and designs of the costumes reflect the colonial region that each delegate represents, creating an effective cheat guide for the audience to remember the large cast of characters.
In the introductory paragraph I said that this production is one long evening. With the operatic performances within each song, especially from Michael Ballam, they are slowed from their original pace. The live orchestra masterfully follows the lead of each performer, however this slows the entire performance, resulting in a night at the theatre that is well over 3 hours long.
While passion is never lacking in this production, a consistent directorial choice of presentational versus representational staging is at times. In the opening number, Ballam as Adams directly addresses the audience in the theatre, however, these lines throughout the rest of the show are addressed to Suzan Hanson as his dear wife, Abigail Adams. This change would not be significant except for the fact that within Ballam’s and Hanson’s multiple letters scenes throughout the show, it seems unclear as to when they are supposed to be directly addressing each other or facing out to the audience to showcase their separation across multiple colonies. Further clarification on these scenes from director Vanessa Ballam can easily clear the audience’s confusion for future performances.
All in all, I felt more patriotic to my theatrical passion and my country than I have in a long time seeing 1776 at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. If you are looking for a vocally powerful, visually magnificent, and emotionally energetic way to celebrate this year’s historic Independence Day, I recommend getting your tickets to 1776 now.
SHOW INFO: 1776 plays at the Ellen Eccles Theatre (43 S Main St, Logan, UT 84321), June 30, and July 2-4 at 7:30pm. Ticket prices range from $33-$78. Find more information at https://utahfestival.org/1776-2/