In the spirit of the week, Hatbox Theatre will present 1776, about the penning of the Declaration of Independence.
Ma Mu Productions, helmed by Marc Murai, will bring to life the early days of the country that celebrated its birthday Wednesday.
“By the end of the show, no one walks out of the theatre proud to be a Democrat or proud to be a Republican. No one walks out feeling proud to be a conservative or proud to be a liberal. Rather, everyone walks out feeling proud to be an American, which is exactly what our country needs right now,” Murai said. “I feel that the biggest lesson to be learned from 1776, is the fact that we would not have the Declaration of Independence or our country were it not for people being able to compromise on some extremely difficult and important issues.”
More than 20 actors will bring to life John Adams (Robert Scannell), Benjamin Franklin (Bruce MacDonald), Thomas Jefferson (Michael Coppola) and other statesmen responsible for the United States’ break from England. (New Hampshire’s Josiah Bartlett will be played by Bill Mauser; William Whipple and Matthew Thornton don’t make the cast list.)
The musical is set in Philadelphia during the Second Continental Congress. Adams is frustrated that his proposals for independence have not been debated. The other representatives are too distracted by the rising heat (not unlike temperatures this week 242 years later). Plus, most of the delegates are far from home and their wives.
Eventually, a vote is taken for breaking away from England, but it’s not unanimous, it’s a tie.
Jefferson suggests penning a declaration of independence so that states know what they are voting for before the delegation decides whether to drop the matter. He is chosen.
And the rest, they say, is history.
The Hatbox will be set up with a ¾ thrust, with the audience on three sides of the stage, Murai said. Meaning, when the statesmen present their arguments, they will not only speak to those on stage, but the audience, too.
“I’ve designed the set and conceptualized the show so that the audience becomes part of the Second Continental Congress,” Murai said.
“Also, as the audience leaves the theatre, we will have an unsigned copy of the Declaration of Independence that audience members will be asked to sign before they head back out,” he added.
The show opens Friday and runs through July 15. Times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 general admission; $14 for members, seniors and students; and $12 for senior members. For more information, visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.