My Musical Theater Voyage of Discovery; 1776

1776, being the only cast album in my Ipod that is a number, is the first entry in the general musical theater section of the Ipod. I’ll tell you: I didn’t always get this musical. I am not a history buff and I usually need a screaming black diva or an elegant diva in sequins to get me into a musical. I know that this musical is every singing actor’s favourite – because there are lots of parts to go around. Not being a singing actor, I never really cared about 1776. I never heard about 1776, I never saw 1776, I didn’t give a fuck about 1776. Then I met my husband and he told me 1776 was his favourite musical. Of course. He was a singing actor. For years I listened to the cast album when he played it, I watched the movie with him when he watched it, I listened to him talk about it when he wanted to talk about it. I got him tickets to the revival at The Roundabout and I went to see it and feigned interest. LaDeDa.

Last spring we went to see the play at Papermill Playhouse and finally, finally, finally, I got it. I loved that production. I was completely and entirely moved by it. I will, forevermore, be a fan of 1776.

In my Ipod I have the OBC because, let’s face it, it is the OBC with William Daniels and Betty Buckley. I did not import the movie soundtrack because it is mostly the same cast – but there IS the little matter of John Cullum and Blythe Danner, not to mention Howard da Silva, who is not on the OBC. So I imagine I will relent and import it.

Not greatly impressed by the Roundabout revival, I DO have Brent Spiner and Linda Emond singing Til Then in my Ipod. They have such lovely singing voices and that IS my favourite part of the score – it reminds me of me and Pat; when they call each other dear friend and she says “don’t stop writing – it’s all I have”, their love affair (like all great love affairs) remind me of me and Pat. How fitting that it was Pat who instilled in me a love of this great musical, one I wouldn’t know, were it not for him.