TRADITION

Ah, tradition; I love it.  Yessterday, for the 28th year in a row, I watched the movie version of the musical 1776, one of my all-time favorite shows – I directed it, have seen it on stage several times, I’ve seen the move more than thirty times, and I’m still not tired of it.  It’s a very well researched looked at the days leading up the signing of THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, and ends with the signing. (Yesterday I noticed for the first time, since I happened to have a copy of the document in my lap, that each of the actors signs the declaration exactly where the historic personage he is played signed it – wow, how cool!)  The movie includes most of the original Broadway cast, and they are wonderful!  William Daniels as John Adams, Howard Da Silva as Ben Franklin,and Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson.  There are 24 men and two women in the cast,which makes it hard to do for amateurs, but it is a wonderful script with fantastic music, and leaves me in tears every time.  If you haven’t seen it; you should!