Two Alumni Cast in Broadway Revival of '1776'
April 27, 2020
Last May, it was announced that the Tony Award–winning musical 1776 would return to Broadway, and it was recently disclosed that two UArts alumni will join the cast: Sav Souza BFA ’18 (Musical Theater) and Tiffani Barbour (Musical Theater). The revival, directed by Tony Award–winner Diane Paulus, stands out from past productions in more than one way.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide stay-at-home orders, Paulus has been leading a virtual workshop with the creative team and cast. “I have been overwhelmed by the compassion, humanity and unstoppable creativity expressed by our company of 1776, who have come together from across the country for our virtual workshop. Their resilience has infused me with hope for the future of theater amid this time of uncertainty,” Paulus said.
Featuring a book by Peter Stone and a score by Sherman Edwards, the 1969 musical spans the two months leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as John Adams persuades the Founding Fathers to escape British rule. Unlike the story upon which 1776 is based, this production includes “multiple representations of gender, race and ethnicity that allow this revival of 1776 to more broadly reflect today’s America, our America,” Paulus said in the show’s press release.
Souza will be playing American physician and statesman, delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire, and signer of the Declaration of Independence Josiah Bartlett. Barbour will be playing Andrew McNair, best known for being the custodian who served the Continental Congress and the official ringer of the Liberty Bell.
The revival, a co-production between the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and Roundabout Theatre Company, is currently on a schedule that includes a planned run at A.R.T. in May 2021 and a national “mini-tour” before landing in Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre for the Roundabout Theatre Company run.
A.R.T. said it currently has no additional details “given the uncertainty of these times,” but the cast and creative team will still move forward. Paulus said, “As artists, we are embracing our American history as a human predicament and are committed to the process of learning from the past in order to move forward together.”