1776 (1972)

I saw maybe half of this musical in a fifth-grade classroom. While it didn't bore me, I was not eager to check out the rest. But for the 250th anniversary, I could think of no better option.

In June of the titular year, John Adams (William Daniels) has been the only one calling for debate on independence in the Continental Congress, until Ben Franklin (Howard Da Silva) advises him to let the then more popular Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate) make the proposal. John Dickinson (Donald Madden) persuades Congress to require a unanimous vote to secede from Britain. In light of this, Adams procures a postponement so they can write a declaration to make everything clear and hopefully persuasive. By the process of elimination, he strong-arms Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) into authoring it.

I already had some understanding of why there'd be reluctance to secede. Britain was seen as the greatest nation at the time, failure would lead to execution as traitors, and success would lead to a shaky start at best. I did not know how each Congressman felt, and some of them brought up points I hadn't considered. Edward Rutledge (John Collum), for instance, said South Carolina would rather be a nation unto itself, not beholden to the will of other states. Several, especially from the South, saw the Revolutionary War as mainly a Massachusetts matter, with conditions more tolerable elsewhere.

I won't go into all the individuals, but they're pretty good at distinguishing themselves. In case you assumed an all-male cast, Martha Jefferson (Blythe Danner) visits to encourage her husband, and Adams keeps imagining conversations with absent Abigail (Virginia Vestoff). Both women sing.

Unlike most reviewers, I add "comedy" to the list of genres. Never mind my class's habit of guffawing at every mild oath ("Good God" being especially common); we overlooked a great deal of suggestive and other humor. Many characters come across as caricatures, not least the rum-loving Stephen Hopkins (Roy Poole). And the presentation of the musical numbers often leans on the fourth wall.

As often happens, things get more serious in the third act, with fewer laughs and songs. In particular, Rutledge demands the removal of an objection to slavery, and we all know how that ended. Jefferson seems about as abolitionist as slaveowners get, but not even Adams can hold out forever. Rutledge does have one point: Too many who claim to oppose slavery will still purchase the fruits of slave labor.

I won't say the music works out of context, and I am aware of, well, liberties taken with history. But 1776 strikes me as a classic all the same. I wouldn't mind checking out a stage production as well.