The great musical, “1776,” is coming back for a revival — with a twist.
All the forefathers of the American revolution will be played by women, trans, or non-binary actors.
You heard me right. John Adams, who was played by the great William Daniels in the original 1969 production, will be shown to us in the person of Crystal Lucas-Perry, a Black female actor. Three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello will star as John Dickinson. In the 1997 revival Carmello played Abigail Adams, John’s wife.
Performances begin September 16th at the Roundabout Theater. This production, directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey Page, first played at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge.
All of the cast will be actors who identify as female, transgender, and non-binary. History be damned. After “Hamilton,” all bets are off.
The cast also includes Gisela Adisa as Robert Livingston, Nancy Anderson as George Read, Becca Ayers as Col. Thomas McKean, Tiffani Barbour as Andrew McNair, Allyson Kaye Daniel as Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Elizabeth A. Davis as Thomas Jefferson, Mehry Eslaminia as Charles Thomson, Joanna Glushak as Stephen Hopkins, Shawna Hamic as Richard Henry Lee, Eryn LeCroy as Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall, Liz Mikel as John Hancock, Patrena Murray as Benjamin Franklin, Oneika Phillips as Joseph Hewes, Lulu Picart as Samuel Chase, Sara Porkalob as Edward Rutledge, Sushma Saha as Judge James Wilson, Brooke Simpson as Roger Sherman, Salome B. Smith as Courier, Sav Souza as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Jill Vallery as Caesar Rodney, and Ariella Serur, Grace Stockdale, and Imani Pearl Williams as standbys.
The producers have hedged their bets. This is a limited run in the Roundabout’s subscription calendar. It ends on January 8, 2023 before hitting the road with a national tour.
