Review written for Dramaturgy 6: Dramaturgical Writing, taught by Wendy Arons at Carnegie

Mellon University, Spring 2015

Its Not You, Its Me

The saying often goes, Its not you, its me, but for Pittsburgh Public Theaters
(PPT) production of 1776 the saying could change to, Its not your production, its the
musical itself. The idea of a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence
may sound a little odd, and I can now confirm that the reality of this musical is the same it is
a little odd, but that is a weakness of the musical itself, not of PPT.
1776 begins on an unusually hot spring day in Philadelphia as the members of the
Second Continental Congress gather in an overheated room to continue their bickering. We
are quickly introduced to the large cast of historical figures who continue to disagree
throughout a booming rendition of Sit Down, John. The musical follows the historical
storyline of the road leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence (although
not with complete historical accuracy). John Adams (George Merrick) is an outsider in
Congress who is trying to get the rest of the men to vote for independence. The musical tells
of his journey from choosing another man to propose the idea (because he is disliked), finding
someone to write the Declaration, making compromises on the Declaration, and, as the story
goes, finally succeeding.
A bizarre tone is set during the second song in the show, Piddle, Twiddle, and
Resolve simply because of its use of the words piddle and twiddle. Similarly, during the
performance of The Egg, it is a bit strange to see our founding fathers sing chirp, chirp,
chirp and admire the eaglet that was the United States.

The inclusion of the romantic interests of some of the founding fathers was a bit out of
place as well. Abigail Adams (Trista Moldovan) and Martha Jefferson (Libby Servais) are
only present in the first act. Abigail lives in Massachusetts and only appears in John Adams
imagination while he reads letters from her. The two express their love for one another from
afar in the songs Till Then and Yours, Yours, Yours. Martha Jeffersons role is less
romantic and more playful. When asked by Franklin (Steve Vinovich) and Adams how a quiet
man like Jefferson (Keith Hines) won her affections, she explains to them (in song and dance,
of course) that she loves the way He Plays the Violin. A romantic narrative seems to be a
staple of musicals, so that explains the presence of these characters in the show; however, in
terms of the story structure, their plot lines were unnecessary.
The second act established quite a different tone than the first act. I was thrown off by
Molasses to Rum, a dark song in which Edward Rutledge (Hayden Tee) objects to a clause
in the Declaration that condemns the slave trade and he argues for the necessity of the
triangular trade. Though the song was performed very well, the content was disconcerting and
the tone of the piece was inconsistent with the lightheartedness of the first act.
Sherman Edwards, who wrote the music and lyrics for 1776, has stated that the goal of
this musical was to give life to the historical figures. However, the piece would be much more
successful as a conventional play. The majority of the music adds a playful quality to the
piece that is inconsistent with the narrative of serious events surrounding the birth of our
nation. Although the musical itself has faults, PPT did capture the life that Edwards was going
for.
Overall, PPT put on a high quality production the cast of twenty talented men sang
beautifully, the detailed costumes were period perfect and supported the personality of each

character, and the set was realistic, but not boring. However, like many things in the show, the
final scene the climactic moment when the Congressmen sign the Declaration of
Independence was a bit bizarre. As each member of the Congress stepped up to sign, a loud
bell tolled and a giant projection of the Declaration appeared on the wall. Although it may
sound good in theory, the bell tolling grew louder and louder with each character who signed
until the point where you couldnt hear the names at all. It gave the ending a very ominous
feeling, as if the United States was now doomed.
Also, the giant projection took me out of the world of the show at what is arguably the
most important moment of the piece. Unfortunately, the content of the debates of the Second
Continental Congress does not really work in the form of a musical, but that did not stop PPT
from putting on a high caliber production of this show. PPT, its not you, its the musical. I
like you, I really do, but this musical just didnt work for me. Dont feel bad its really not
your fault. We can still be friends! Lets try again next month I hear theres no singing in
Thurgood