Broadway revival of classic musical 1776 will have an entirely female, non-binary, trans and genderqueer cast
A recent Zoom session with the cast of 1776. (American Repertory Theatre)
Broadway audiences are set to see a revival of the musical comedy 1776 in Spring 2021 and it’ll feature an entirely female, non-binary and genderqueer cast, the American Repertory Theatre announced Thursday.
The production of the Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone’s classic will be directed by Diane Paulus, who won a Tony Award for her direction of Pippin, and choreographed by Jeffrey Page.
Broadway has, at times, lagged behind film and television when it comes to diversity. But 1776 is skewing the typical creaky theatre tendency of a monochromatic show and ushering in a more diverse, trans-inclusive kind of theatre.
1776 cast are ‘committed’ to Spring 2021 show.
1776 is a musical about the signing of the American Declaration of Independence, traversing the efforts of John Adams to persuade Continental Congress to vote for the country’s freedom.
The refreshed re-telling seeks to prompt a contemporary rethinking of the founding fathers, and will see the likes of actors Crystal Lucas-Perry (John Adams) Patrena Murray (Benjamin Franklin), Kerry O’Malley (John Dickinson) and Sara Porkalob (Edward Rutledge) star.
And the long list of stars carries on, with Elizabeth Davis as Thomas Jefferson, Allyson Kaye Dnaiel as Abigail Adams, Eryn LeCroy as Martha Jefferson and many more.
American Repertory Theatre stressed that the cast are all “committed to the production”, according to Broadway News.
Organisers are still aiming for a 2020-2021 season launch as the coronavirus pandemic continues to paralyse the theatre industry.
A premiere at the Roundabout Theatre Company is slated for the spring of 2021.
The show was originally set to debut May 2020 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before being presented at several other theatres around the country, including in July 2020 at the Center Theater Group in Los Angeles, before arriving at Broadway’s American Airlines Theater.
1776 is a co-production between the American Repertory Theater and Roundabout Theater Company.
