A special treat for Independence Day

A whole musical! Because what could be more appropriate for a holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence than a show about the adoption of the Declaration of Independence? I give you 1776, by Sherman Edwards (music, lyrics, and original book) and Peter Stone (book).

Well, okay, I'm not posting the whole musical here. I'm just going to bring a few excerpts:

Opening ("Sit Down, John"), sung by Brent Spiner (as John Adams) and company:

Video posted by aurora spiderwpman
That's one way to get all the exposition out of the way. (As it happens, I was fortunate enough to see this 1998 revival, and loved it.)
 

I'm including this non-song bit because hey, some things never change!

Video posted by Nicholas S. Castellano
(In real life, that is something John Adams wrote in his diary, but yep, it was about New Yorkers.)

 
"But Mr. Adams", sung in 2009 at the Redlands Bowl:

Video posted by Jason livesay
John Adams did write in a letter that he was "obnoxious, suspected and unpopular" in Congress, but that was 46 years later, after his presidency. However, David McCullough, in his biography of Adams, said he was one of the most respected members of the Continental Congress.

 
"Is Anybody There," sung by William Daniels in the 1972 film of the musical:

Video posted by Vernon Hill
The verse about fireworks and so on? That's from a letter John wrote to his wife Abigail:

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Happy to oblige, John!

 
And just in case that you don't even have the time to watch the excerpts, here's a a little song compilation for you:

Video posted by Playbill Video
***
Yes, indeed, both Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone were Jewish.

New York/New Jersey boy Sherman Edwards majored in history in college, and taught high school history for a little while after WWII, but then switched to music, first as a band leader and arranger and then as a successful Brill Building pop song writer. However, he is far and away best known for writing 1776, which won a Tony for Best Musical in 1969.


Even though he didn't write any of the songs, we are looking at the whole show, and Peter Stone did write the book! Stone was a well-respected play and screenplay author, picking up three Tonys (Titanic, Woman of the Year, and 1776), an Oscar (Father Goose, although it was widely seen as actually having been earned by his earlier script for Charade), an Emmy (an episode of The Defenders), and an Edgar (Charade), and was president of the Dramatists Guild for 18 years.