Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve

1776

Putting a new spin on an old classic is an admirable challenge for a director. This 2022 Broadway revival production, helmed by co-directors Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus, with Page credited for the choreography, certainly gives this musical a fresh, contemporary look and sound. While basically staying true to the original, the production offers all kinds of novel changes and additions. The show opens with the entire cast slipping off their streetwear and into black buckle shoes (which line the front of the stage), rolling up the legs of their black trousers and white knee socks and finally adding Emilio Sosa’s colorful frock coats. But this is just the beginning of the two directors’ many modern touches, not the least of which is its inclusive casting.

The Declaration of Independence, around which this musical is centered, was written by white men. It states near the beginning of the document that “All men are created equal.” And so, in a bold response to Thomas Jefferson’s words, the directors have noted that the phrase excludes women, non-binary and transgender individuals and people of color. And so, in a seemingly “In your face” move, they’ve cast their show entirely with actors who represent that passed-over population. This choice in casting sometimes feels more like a gimmick, especially at the beginning of the musical. But then, as the audience becomes used to the company’s higher vocal range, this contrived shift actually works.

But first, a little background about the show itself. In 1969 a musical that, at the time, was considered daring and groundbreaking, told the story of the hot, summer days leading up to the drafting and signing of our Declaration of Independence. It was comparable to Lin Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical, “Hamilton,” in the way it  presents our country’s founding fathers as real, flesh and blood people, not simply as names from a history book. The show opened on Broadway and ran for more than 1,200 performances, taking home the Tony Award for, among other categories, Best Musical. Three years later, the musical become a popular film, with most of the original cast reprising their roles. Later, the show enjoyed an eagerly awaited remount by the Roundabout Theatre Company, which earned it the 1998 Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

In spite of the fact that everyone knows how this story is going to end, this musical surprises with its humor, unexpected tension and 11th hour suspense. The plot revolves around how John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and their allies attempt to convince all 13 colonies to vote unanimously for independency. The brilliant dramatic construction of this script, by librettist Peter Stone, is enhanced and given an often playful, sometimes irreverent tone by Sherman Edwards’ music and lyrics. 

The musical score helps breathe life into the historical characters, often adding an element of whimsy (“Sit Down, John,” “Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve”). Sometimes the songs offer insight into family relationships (“Yours, Yours, Yours,” “He Plays the Violin”). Others, such as “Cool, Cool Considerate Men,” portrays the cautious political Conservatives as dancing a minuet. And “The Egg,” which succinctly illustrates the tension felt by Jefferson, Franklin and Adams while they nervously await Congress’ response to their document, musicalizes an important plot element. To break the suspense, the trio musically debate which bird should represent this new nation. 

But Edwards has composed a couple of other songs that usually touch the heart and add even more drama to the events of that summer in Philadelphia. But in two of the most glaring misses in this Page/Paulus production, the adage that less is often more is blatantly ignored. The poignant ballad “Mama, Look Sharp,” sung by a ragged, young Courier delivering missives from General Washington, is one of the most beautiful songs in the score. However in this production, rather than allowing the talented Brooke Simpson to move the audience with her solo performance, the directors didn’t trust the material. They’ve turned this simple, quiet, heartbreaking ballad into an ear-splitting, full-out production number, like something out of “Les Miserables.” 

In Act II’s “Molasses to Rum,” Edward Rutledge (played by gifted actor/singer Kassandra Haddock) gives a dramatic and moving musical condemnation of the northern colonies’ role in the slave trade. Without question, it’s the dramatic highlight of the score. But in this production the audience can’t hear or understand what the actress is singing because the creatives have upstaged her with a superfluous chorus of additional singers and dancers. There are other instances where choreography and choral additions unfortunately simply muddy this production.

In this production the clever but sound casting is often undermined by unnecessary new orchestrations, strange, 

au courant vocal arrangements and the encouragement of certain company members to overact and mug. Page’s unneeded zealous, “So You Think You Can Dance” style choreography, while executed well, just feels arbitrary. 

But this talented National Touring cast is uniformly excellent. Standouts include Broadway actress Gisela Adisa who leads the company as an emotionally powerful and beautifully articulate John Adams. Joanna Glushak (seen on Broadway in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”) makes a strong and smug adversary to Adams as Pennsylvania’s Conservative John Dickinson. And fresh from the Broadway revival, Shawna Hamic is a comic treat as an effervescent Richard Henry Lee.

  Shelby Acosta elicits a well-deserved empathy for Charles Thomson, the Congressional Secretary; Nancy Anderson brings a quiet, cerebral jauntiness to Thomas Jefferson; Connor Lyon, playing both Dr. Lyman Hall and Martha Jefferson, raises the rafters with her lovely “He Plays the Violin.” Also playing dual roles, exquisite actor/vocalist Tieisha Thomas is stunning as both Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon and Abigail Adams. And Gwynne Wood is a delight as George Read, the Conservative Delaware delegate who gets bullied by Scottish Col. Thomas McKean (a wonderful Dawn Cantwell) and the ailing Caesar Rodney (sensitively portrayed by Jill Marie Vallery).   

In “Is Anybody There?,” John Adams’ musical soliloquy near the end of the play, all the events of this musical are brought to a head. After we’ve Piddled, Twiddled and Resolved with this Congress, it’s in this final, emotional moment that the audience fully appreciates this man from Massachusetts, whose passionate, patriotic love of his country often seems like a thankless, lonely effort.

There are good reasons to see this National Tour. For devotees of the show and newcomers alike, especially younger, female audiences, the script and music, with its bright lyrics, are equally clever and fun. Some songs may even move you to tears. And the cast is quite excellent, especially Gisela Adisa. But for the purist, the theatergoer who remembers this musical and loves it the way it was originally written and performed, this could be a production that will require an open mind. This new, contemporary revival of the Tony Award-winning musical offers are some hits and some misses, but the overall effect of Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s magnificent libretto remains powerful. It still demonstrates why the show stands tall today, along with “Hamilton,” as one of Broadway’s finest attempts to breathe life into our history.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented February 28-March 12 by Broadway in Chicago at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe, Chicago.

Tickets are available at all Broadway in Chicago box offices, at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling the Chicago Ticket Line at 800-775-2000 or by going to www.BroadwayInChicago.com. 

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.