1776 Musical Review

1776 The Musical

Of Thee I sing. A REVIEW

Ok, those and some other lesser errors aside, I love this show. I like that they show the Continental Congress as people with strengths and flaws. I like to see the stress and struggle of creating a new nation under terrible and trying conditions. I like the feelings of patriotism the show wakes up in me. The only danger this show possesses is for those who don’t know the actual history. But if you want to watch a fun show with great tunes and a patriotic message, put 1776 in your Netflix lineup and have a great night.

Of Thee I Sing

Campy, Cartoonish and Completely Entertaining. That would be the one sentence summary of the now classic musical 1776.

Is it serious history? No. Is it a good place to start a discussion about history? Yes.

It is difficult to complain about historic errors when you are talking about a musical, but I will try to get some of the most grievous mistakes out of the way.

1)Almost everyone is the wrong age but none so awfully as South Carolina’s Edward Rutledge, who was actually only 27 in 1776.

2)Pennsylvania had 8 delegates, not three.

3)Stephen Hopkins is portrayed as a heavy drinker, but the real Hopkins never touched a drop before 8:00 PM and never drank to excess.

4)The debate over the Declaration was not between conservatives and liberals. In fact, those terms had very different meaning in the 18th century.

5)James Wilson was not a weak-willed nobody, but a hard core Patriot who spoke out for independence throughout the convention.

6)Independence was voted on and passed on July 2nd.

7)Nobody but John Hancock and Charles Thomson (the secretary) signed the Declaration on July 4th.