Main Session Musical – 1776
We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Main Session musical will be 1776! Before there was Hamilton, there was 1776. Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Musical, 1776 follows the story of the birth of America leading up to the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. The pivotal event in American history comes to life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits.
It’s blazing hot in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence from Great Britain…if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! The story follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to take the risky step of voting for independence. It’s a musical about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. From powerful and moving scenes to lighthearted and humorous musical numbers, 1776 puts a human face on the men behind the national icons…proud, scared, uncertain, stubborn, charming, often petty, and certainly flawed, trying to do what they believe is right for a new nation built on new hopes and new ideas.
Get ready to see the Castle stage transform into Independence Hall as John Adams and his fellow delegates transport us all back to witness one of the most remarkable and dangerous summers in American history.