SUMMER PLACE OPENS ITS SEASON WITH A DELIGHTFUL 1776

The notion of writing a patriotic musical that chronicles just how our Declaration of Independence was written and adopted – this must have seemed absurd to more than a few long-haired idealists in the late sixties.  After all, that era celebrated the individual rather than the nation.  Ex-history teacher Sherman Edwards, however, was enthusiastic enough about his country and its colonial beginnings to forge ahead, completing his Tony award-winning play in time for America’s bicentennial.  Edwards favored a biographical approach to history, becoming familiar with the individuals and their quirks as well as their accomplishments.  As a result, 1776 is a delightful romp with the likes of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and a host of colorful characters gathered together in the sweltering heat of a Philadelphia summer. 

Director Jan Mahlstedt has assembled a fine cast for this, the first 2001 production of Naperville’s Summer Place.  In addition to casting an Abigail Adams and a Martha Jefferson who could sing with power, Ms. Mahlstedt had to find no fewer than twenty-three men who could hold their own on stage, enlisting Patti Mason, Pam Riley, Mandy Riley and Sylvia Kupferer to convincingly costume and wig them.  The result is an entertaining three-dimensional picture of the noble and the ridiculous, of the bold and the timid.  Each cast member has his or her moment; by the end of the show, the audience knows enough of each one to embrace the final tableau with renewed interest and pride.

John Adams and his wife Abigail are the heart and soul of the show, introducing us to the author’s personal perspective of history.    Steve Arvanites as John Adams is an idealistic and independent zealot, not surprisingly seen as “obnoxious and disliked” as he doggedly campaigns for independence.  Frustrated and lonely, he escapes into a letter from home. Though Arvanites seems a bit young to be playing the 41-year-old future president, all is forgiven as he and Abigail, convincingly played by the talented Lisa Baggot-Miller, nail the harmony and warm the theatre.  Having been shown two sides of John Adams, the audience is encouraged to view the others as complete human beings as the show continues.

The legendary Benjamin Franklin, not surprisingly, has his strengths and weaknesses, and the script has fun with both.  As the oldest member of the congress, Craig Mahlstedt’s Franklin naps through the debates, bored as the others attempt to “piddle, twiddle and resolve” anything and waking up only in his enthusiasm for “whoring and drinking,” but he skillfully and diplomatically courts the proud but simple Richard Henry Lee from Virginia, having concluded that someone other than Adams must front the controversial resolution to dissolve ties with Britain.  Lee, humorously portrayed by Daniel Linka, energetically struts through “The Lees of Old Virginia.”  Although the choreography here seems to stop short, failing to bring Adams and Franklin completely into the mix, Linka nevertheless manages to pull off a comic highlight.

Thomas Jefferson, the actual author of the Declaration of Independence, is presented as a quiet intellectual, often found reading as the congress drinks its rum and noisily squabbles about whether or not the king is a tyrant.  When he is finally chosen to draft the declaration, however, he steps up to the plate and delivers.  The talented Randy Knott embodies the idealistic Jefferson as a man deeply in love with his wife, a man stirred by the French Revolution and its notions of freedom and human rights, and as one troubled by the institution of slavery and his association with it.  As Jefferson’s wife Martha, the lovely Eirian Morgan playfully reminds us of his musical abilities in one of the show’s most memorable songs, “He Plays the Violin.”

Mention must be made of other performances as well.  Dan Murphy’s Roger Sherman is convincingly likeable and down-to-earth.  Joseph Scola’s John Dickinson, as the leader of the conservatives, is wonderfully grounded; he is able to turn the corner in Act Two, still opposing independence from Britain but marching off to join the colonial army because of his love for America.  Dr. Lyman Hall, played by Ned O’Reilly, shows real depth of character as he finally decides to vote his conscience.  Robert Kimmeth’s John Hancock, remembered historically for the courage it took to sign his name prominently and with a bold stroke, was steady and reassuring.  Daniel Miller as Charles Thomson, so often humorous as he called for votes or named off the committees being formed, was surprisingly touching as he voiced concern for Washington and his ragtag army.  And Craig Gustafson as Andrew McNair was charming as the curmudgeon/custodian ordered about to open and close windows or retrieve more rum.

The show has its darker moments.  Steve Tomlitz as Edward Rutledge sings one of the most troubling songs of the show, sharing the blame for slavery in “Molasses to Rum.” He sells the song most dramatically, even mounting Hancock’s desk, lit tightly with a spotlight to feature the moment.  As effective as the lighting was here, however, fit failed to deliver at the end of Act One.  As a courier from General George Washington, bearing sad news from the front, David Pfenninger aptly delivers on “Momma Look Sharp,” lamenting the tragic losses that define war.  Rather than feature the courier, however, the lighting merely dims across the stage, leaving the two silent witnesses, for a time awkwardly seated one in front of the other, to distract the audience at center stage.  

Any complaints about lighting or blocking, however, are nitpicking here.  Ultimately, Naperville’s Summer Place has every right to be proud.  1776 is a show that calls for a big stage picture and attention to detail, and the men who people the stage throughout much of the play must always remain in character, finding some appropriate stage business without pulling focus from the speaker.  Without some sort of movement or grand gesture, the speaker in many cases was difficult to pick out of the crowd, yet there never seemed to be a time when a minor character was caught dropping out, daydreaming and losing his focus.  The director and cast are to be commended for their concentration and devotion to character.

1776 manages to entertain and inspire.  Unfortunately, the show has only a two-week run (closing June 24), but this production bodes well for the remainder of A Summer Place’s Season, The Foreigner and Into The Woods, playing late June through the end of July.