1776 Musical brings vibrant nontraditional casting of founding fathers to stage at DCPA
Since 1969, Broadway musical "1776" has been entertaining crowds across the United States and beyond, but for the first time since launching, the show is touring without men portraying the founding fathers. "1776." which arrives in Denver at the Buell Theater later this month, is now being told through the eyes of individuals who were not represented when the Declaration of Independence was written.
In an exclusive advanced interview in Chicago with CBS News Colorado, several stars of the new touring production sat down with Dillon Thomas to discuss how their backgrounds help tell the story of our country's foundation from a different perspective.
"Everyone knows that our founding fathers were all white men," said Nancy Anderson, who portrays Thomas Jefferson in the production.
But now, people of different races, genders and sexes have been cast to portray the historically white figures who helped find the bedrock of the United States as we know it today.
"Our production features people from all walks of life today — people that weren't included in the conversations when the declaration was written," said Liz Mikel, a member of the cast who portrays Benjamin Franklin.
"So you have people in Black bodies, female bodies and trans bodies (cast as the white founding fathers,)" said Gisela Adisa, a star of the show who portrays John Adams.
The production still follows the same storyline and features the same music as the traditional production of past decades; however, they are all presented with their own modern twist. The facts around the formation of the Declaration of Independence still ring true, but simply presented through a new lens.
"Our production reflects what America looks like now," Mikel said.
The cast welcomed Thomas for a performance of the production in Chicago's CIBC Theater. During the production, it was evident how powerful it was to hear African American and Black cast members vocally portray a character who was defending the use of slavery, or others like Ben Franklin who were willing to make compromises with slavery in favor of finding independence.
Mikel said she feels a position of responsibility every time she takes the stage as Franklin, especially as she has the opportunity to convey that he didn't fully agree with slavery, yet was willing to set that issue aside as a way to prioritize independence.
"For me to have those words coming out of my mouth, it lands on them differently because of my experiences as an African American," Mikel said. "And that is what makes this text come to life."
"We have African Americans and people of color who are talking about slavery who would have been enslaved at the time of the drafting," Anderson said. "To see Black people talking about American slavery and having their souls connect to that question packs a much bigger punch."
"1776" will play at the Buell Theater in Denver from March 21 through April. Tickets can be purchased at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts website. CBS News Colorado is a proud media sponsor of the DCPA and its service to the community.
The cast hopes this production of "1776" will spark a new conversation on the work of the founding fathers, while still educating the public in a fun and creative way on what happened during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
"No matter how we change, at our heart we are still that scrappy young country that miraculously figured it out," Adisa said.
CBS News Colorado thanks the Skydeck in Chicago for accommodating our team for a portion of the video production of this report on 1776's visit to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts at the end of March. The Skydeck is a fun family-friendly location that offers views of the Chicago skyline from more than 1,300 feet in the air through the perspective of a glass room and floor.
