Crystal Lucas-Perry, Carolee Carmello, More Set 1776 Broadway Revival
There's been a delegate shake-up for the Broadway cast of 1776. Kristolyn Lloyd will lead the company as John Adams beginning Tuesday, October 25. Crystal Lucas-Perry will play her final performance on Sunday, October 23, as she departs for another project this fall.
Last month, Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway revival of 1776 revealed its ensemble, including several notable names—hello, Carolee Carmello!—and a few changes from the American Repertory Theater premiere in June. The production includes a contemporary casting revamp, featuring an ensemble that includes multiple representations of race, ethnicity, and gender; they identify as female, transgender, and nonbinary.
Upon starting previews at the American Airlines Theatre September 16, the cast will feature, in order of appearance, Crystal Lucas-Perry as John Adams, Gisela Adisa as Robert Livingston, Nancy Anderson as George Read, Becca Ayers as Col. Thomas McKean, Tiffani Barbour as Andrew McNair, Carolee Carmello as John Dickinson, Allyson Kaye Daniel as Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Elizabeth A. Davis as Thomas Jefferson, Mehry Eslaminia as Charles Thomson, Joanna Glushak as Stephen Hopkins, Shawna Hamic as Richard Henry Lee, Eryn LeCroy as Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall, Liz Mikel as John Hancock, Patrena Murray as Benjamin Franklin, Oneika Phillips as Joseph Hewes, Lulu Picart as Samuel Chase, Sara Porkalob as Edward Rutledge, Sushma Saha as Judge James Wilson, Brooke Simpson as Roger Sherman, Salome B. Smith as Courier, Sav Souza as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, and Jill Vallery as Caesar Rodney. Ariella Serur, Grace Stockdale, and Imani Pearl Williams will serve as standbys with additional names to be announced later.
The production, co-directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page, officially opens October 6. It recently concluded its limited engagement at the A.R.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following the Broadway limited engagement, 1776 will begin a national tour in February 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Forrest Theatre.
1776 features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, based on a concept by Edwards. It follows John Adams as he tries to convince the Continental Congress to declare American independence from the British—a move that might seem easy enough through today’s lens, but proved remarkably difficult for those living through it.
The production will feature choreography by Jeffrey L. Page, music supervision by David Chase, orchestrations by John Clancy, vocal design by AnnMarie Milazzo, music direction by Ryan Cantwell, and casting by Stephen Kopel. Rounding out the creative team are set designer Scott Pask, costume designer Emilio Sosa, lighting designer Jen Schriever, sound designer Jonathan Deans, projection designer David Bengali, and hair and wig designer Mia Neal, associate director Brisa Areli Muñoz, and production stage manager Alfredo Macias.
Here's a fun connection: the musical was previously revived on Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company in 1997 before transferring to a commercial run at the Gershwin Theatre, the latter featuring Carolee Carmello as Abigail Adams.
(This article was originally published August 9, and has since been updated.)
