Editor's Notebook: A Good Time at "1776"

I'm not a theater critic, but I know when I have a good time at a production. And that's what I had Thursday night with "1776" at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

One of my favorite parts of American history is the revolution era, which is why I was especially interested in seeing "1776." I had high hopes for the production, especially after seeing some video we shot of a rehearsal, and I wasn't disappointed.

The story follows main characters John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson through May, June and July 1776 in the efforts to persuade the Continental Congress to vote for independence and sign the Declaration of Independence.

Since I'm a fan of revolutionary war-era history, the story doesn't surprise me. Declaring independence was not an easy thing for many of our founding fathers, including Franklin, who works with Adams in persuading the others to vote in favor of it.

Adams is portrayed as an "antagonist" that is outspoken and disliked by many in the Congress, especially the conservatives. Don Stephenson—who starred as Leo Bloom in "The Producers" on Broadway—plays the part well. His banter with Franklin, Jefferson and John Dickinson, his main adversary to independence, comes off well, especially with Franklin. His scenes with Abigail Adams, played by Kerry O'Malley, to me were touching and showed well Adams' internal struggles.

Franklin is one of my favorite historical figures—he is considered one of the first American journalists—and Conrad John Schuck plays him well as Adams' foil. It's clear that without Franklin, Adams does not succeed in convincing the Continental Congress to vote for independence.

I heard much about Robert Cuccioli, who plays Dickinson, from the Paper Mill faithful heading into Thursday night's performance. This is his 12th production at the Paper Mill Playhouse, and he was the one who announced the upcoming season at a press event last month.

I was not disappointed in his performance as Livingston, the main character against independence. He and Stephenson play off each other well in their debates, and he plays the villain role well. He is a worthy adversary to those who are fighting in favor of independence.

One theater-goer mentioned Cuccioli as "a wonderful singer" in a discussion a few weeks ago. He only has one scene where he has significant singing action—leading the conservatives in "Cool, Cool Considerate Men"—but he did not disappoint.

I was disappointed to see how little James Barbour as Edward Rutledge, the representative from South Carolina, is used. He has one scene singing "Molasses to Rum" in the argument about slavery, and it's his only time when he takes center stage. It's a powerful number.

The same can be said about the scene with Griffin Matthews, who plays the courier, singing "Mamma, Look Sharp." It's another powerful scene about the travesties of war on a family.

The play is fiction although based on history, so there are some license taken with the actual historical facts. But overall, it made this American Revolutionary War fan smile throughout the performance. I especially liked how the show ended with each character posed in the position of the famous Declaration of Independence painting.