Stone continued to write scripts at universal, doing work on skin game and writing a story about blackwhite relations that was ultimately never made, the ornament. Susan has a wellloved copy of the book on her shelf, two separate cast recordings, a vhs and a dvd in her house. Based on the events surrounding the drafting and signing of the declaration of independence. Winner of five 1969 tony awards, including best book and best musical, this oftproduced musical play is an imaginative recreation of the events from may 8 to july 4, 1776 in philadelphia, when the second continental congress argued about, voted on, and signed the declaration of independence. Roundabout theatre company todd haimes, artistic directorceo in association with the american repertory theater at harvard university diane paulus, terrie and bradley bloom artistic director. Peter stone book and sherman edwards music and lyrics created an unlikely hit about the founding fathers who badgered, bullied, sang. As the play begins, the representatives of the original thirteen colonies have gathered together in philadelphia for the 2nd continental congress, and john adams is attempting to deliver his proposal for independence, but the other. What peter stone was able to write into the book were two things that were never in the real independence hall, a calendar and. A seminal event in american history as the nation is ready to declare independence. The late peter stone, who wrote the book of 1776, the musical, explains the history behind the classic show about the signing of the declaration of. When peter stone came on board to write the book, he concentrated on the. The book by peter stone dramatizing the debate within the second continental congress over the issue of independence and the ratification of thomas jeffersons declaration. It won the tony award for best musical and stone won the drama desk award for best book. The film was not a hit on original release, but like so many films, it developed a following in the ensuing years and has been an oftrequested title for bluray and other highdefinition platforms.
For the broadway musical and film adaptations of the book by peter stone, see 1776 musical and 1776. Alyssa has a dvd currently located in another state, and, failing that, a phone connection to susan. Ibdb internet broadway database archive is the official database for broadway theatre information. The work is a companion to mcculloughs earlier biography of john adams, and focuses on the events. Peter stone, the tony awardwinning librettist who wrote the books of the. Often referred to as the musical about us, this production was a lavish telling of the events leading up to the writing of the declaration of independence. When it premiered on broadway nearly a halfcentury ago with a book by peter stone and music and lyrics by sherman edwards, 1776 demonstrated it was possible to fashion a musical from. The reasons to produce 1776 as a show are numerous, traditional casting or not. We have decided to postpone 1776 to the 202021 season. Additional dates, cast and creative team will be announced at a later date. A musical play based on a conception of sherman edwards book by peter stone. The book is by peter stone, best known as a hollywood screenwriter. Tom aldredge, joseph cassidy, michael cumpsty, macintyre dixon, dashiell eaves, gregg edelman, linda emond, tom riis farrell, merwin foard, john herrera, pat hingle, jerry lanning, kevin ligon, david lowenstein, daniel marcus, michael x. Seeing peter stone and sherman edwardss play 1776 on a stage, or on the movie screen, is in a way easier.
Peter stone was an acclaimed tony and oscarwinning writer who began in tv and moved to motion pictures and the theater. With a book by peter stone and music and lyrics by sherman edwards, 1776 starred william daniels as john adams, howard da silva as benjamin franklin and ken howard as thomas jefferson. Winner of five 1969 tony awards, including best book and best musical, this oftproduced. Only, sugar, the will rogers follies and 1776, died april 26, 2003, at a manhattan. The worst idea that had ever been proposed for a musical when 1776 premiered on broadway in march 1969, the same year richard nixon became president of the united states, the country was plagued by. What peter stone was able to write into the book were two things that were never in the real independence hall, a calendar and a tally board. Ever since the premiere of 1776 on broadway in 1969, peter stones book has been considered one of the best of any contemporary musical. Stone wrote the book for the broadway musical 1776 196972 which went for 1,217 performances. Witness the birth of a nation as our forefathers struggle to craft the declaration of independence.
Award winners book club selections books by author books by series coming soon kids books new releases teens books this months biggest new books. Peter stone drehbuchautor 19302003, usamerikanischer drehbuchautor. Synopsis and brief history of the broadway musical 1776, plus links to cast albums, sheet music, and official show merchandise. The show puts a human face on a story that most americans feel they know well, but often only on a superficial, distant, historical level. This article is about the book by david mccullough. Another founding fathers musical, 1776, is heading to. Winner of five 1969 tony awards, including best book and best musical, this oftproduced musical play is an imaginative recreation of the. Current ticket holders will be contacted directly over the next few days. Playmakers in covington presents 1776 with a twist. The show is based on the events leading up to the signing of the.
Peter stone, whose sophisticated wit in films like charade and zeal for historical accuracy in broadway musicals like 1776 helped him become the first writer to win an oscar, an emmy and a. In 1969, as the vietnam war raged, and months before the moon landing, stonewall and woodstock, the musical 1776 opened in new york. The work is a companion to mcculloughs earlier biography of john adams, and focuses on the events surrounding the start of the american revolution. One loses sherman edwardss music when all one has is printed words on a page. Yet, 1776, which opened last night at the 46th street theater, most handsomely. In this edition of presenting the facts, we explore the 1972 movie adaptation of the musical 1776. About 1776 winner of five 1969 tony awards, including best book and best musical, this oftproduced musical play is an imaginative recreation of the events from may 8 to july 4, 1776 in philadelphia, when the second continental congress argued about, voted on, and signed the declaration of independence. The show is based on the events leading up to the signing of the declaration of independence, telling a story of the efforts of john adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for american independence and to sign the document.
The screenplay by peter stone was based on his book for the 1969 broadway musical of the same name. A musical play penguin plays by sherman edwards, peter stone and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Peter stones book is lauded by many as being one of the best books for a musical ever written, which is quite an accomplishment. Originally produced on the broadway stage by stuart ostrow 1969 tony award for best musical. With music and lyrics by sherman edwards and book by peter stone, the original 1969 production of 1776 was notable for its humanizing of the founding fathers.
Posted by 4 days ago the villainess turns the hourglass by san sobi on ah, how refreshing. Music and lyrics by sherman edwards, book by peter stone. Skiba as john adams in 1776 book by peter stone music and lyrics by sherman edwards based on a concept by sherman edwards licensed by mti music the. Winner of five 1969 tony awards, including best book and best musical, this oft produced musical play is an imaginative recreation of the. Peter stone, the tony awardwinning librettist who wrote the books of the broadway musicals titanic, my one and only, sugar, the will rogers follies and 1776, died april 26, 2003, at a manhattan. Musical version of the events leading up the the signing of the declaration of independence. Roundabout theatre company is partnering with american repertory theater at harvard university to return the beloved original founding fathers musical, 1776, to. The musical opened on march 16, 1969 and closed on february, 1972. The concept, music, and lyrics were by sherman edwards, and the book was written by peter stone. The son of a schoolteacher turned motion picture producer, stone was. The film stars william daniels, howard da silva, donald madden, john cullum, ken howard and blythe danner. Stone, who had perhaps his greatest successes writing the books for musicals, always felt that it was an underappreciated art. The seminal event in american history blazes to vivid life in this most beautiful and unconventional broadway hit. In 1776, the less interesting room where it happens.