Review: Center for the Arts' Emotionally-Charged 1776

Perhaps it's a case of perfect timing - or maybe it's simply the fact that a revival of a much-beloved Tony Award-winning best musical is enough to attract a strong ensemble of men to the project - but make no mistake about it, Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts succeeds where so many companies have fallen short in bringing a superbly mounted production of Sherman Edwards' and Peter Stone's 1776 to vibrant life onstage!

In the much-too-short run that concluded on the Murfreesboro stage this past weekend, director Cyndie Verbeten, musical director Fran Gebuhr and choreographer Kate Adams and their amazingly talented ensemble of actors presented an invigorating, emotional and surprisingly moving iteration of 1776 for their mostly sold-out audiences, providing entertainment (and an illuminating history lesson) of the highest order that proved inspiring in almost every way imaginable.

The collaboration of the creative team (which includes costume designer Lisa McLaurin, set and lighting designer Renee Robinson and Sound Designer Josh Koskela) and the ensemble of actors - and a plethora of volunteers offstage and backstage - results in a production that is profoundly moving and remarkably involving for members of the audience. If you don't find yourself completely moved during the electrically-charged moments in which American independence from Great Britain is declared, you might need to disengage from all forms of contemporary diversion to refresh - perhaps to reboot, even - your sense of patriotism.

Led by David Cummings, in the coveted role of the redoubtable John Adams, the various personages of the Continental Congress - the men charged with giving both form and function to the rebellious American colonists who sought to throw off the yoke of oppression foisted upon them by King George III and others in the British ruling class - are brought to life in vivid fashion. Verbeten's direction is fluid, offering an intimate view into the workings of the seminal body of legislators who were tasked with creating the America we know today.

Luckily, for Verbeten and her creative team, they have assembled a cast of actors who vigorously take up the gauntlet to portray the various historic figures who risked their lives to create this still-evolving grand experiment of democratic self-rule in North America, challenging every preconceived notion while taking on the world's most powerful nation at the same time. Cummings' commanding performance as Adams is laudable and thoroughly believable, to be certain, and the rest of the men in Verbeten's cast rise to that dramatic occasion to deliver performances that are equally noteworthy.

Chris McLaurin is delightful as the randy and rambunctious Benjamin Franklin, playing him with equal parts charm and justifiable arrogance. Cavender Lane proves himself a capable leading man as the dreamy intellectual Thomas Jefferson, offering a clear-cut portrait of the founding father that is immensely engaging and wonderfully multi-dimensional. Ted Verbeten, as Pennsylvanian John Dickinson, is filled with effete indifference which makes his surprising turn-about late in Act Two all the more potent and effective.

John Frost Jr., cast as the rakish Richard Henry Lee, is enormously likable as the scion of Virginia's own "royal" family and he very nearly steals the show with his performance of "The Lees of Virginia" (he's given ample and joyous support by Cummings and McLaurin) and he lends an air of uproarious fun to the proceedings during his every moment onstage.

Lori Dennis Joffs is ideally cast as AbiGail Adams, the wife of the sometimes unctuous John Adams, and her portrayal is multi-layered and beautifully nuanced; her epistolary moments show the depth of the pair's relationship and adds further luster to the historic impact of their partnership. Haley Ray is lovely as Jefferson's wife, Martha (her rendition of "He Plays the Violin" closes the first act with an unexpected dollop of romance), and her scenes with Lane fairly crackle with an intensity that speaks directly to the onstage chemistry of the two actors.

But perhaps the most startling moment in the production comes when young Slate Bowers, playing a courier from the legendary General George Washington (commander of the Colonial armies), settles into a chair usually occupied by John Adams to deliver a beautifully sung version of "Mama, Look Sharp" which encapsulates the fears, hopes and dreams of the everyman (and boy) soldier who, like his descendants, must face death every day in hopes of creating a more verdant world in which his family may prosper. Bowers' performance was exquisitely sung.

And while these performances were the highlights of the production, the consistent and focused work of the other cast members deserve praise as well; kudos to Joe Bosnak, Dakota Green, Robert Martin, Dale Tipps, David Naylor, Matthew Sells, Steven Scott, Gary Davis, Rick Stewart, Stephen Belk, Kevin Compton, Adam Sanders, Zachary Richardson, Chad Witemeyer, Aaron Hall, Kyle Schrage, Tony Laughlin, Matthew Wells and Colin McLaurin for their superb work on the production.

But, alas, 1776 is now gone with the wind, as it were and I am sincerely sorry if you were unable to see it, particularly during these challenging times in which everything the United States of America is called into question. America is still evolving, you see, and we need to be reminded of that every day of our lives.

• 1776. Music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Book by Peter Stone. Directed by Cyndie Verbeten. Musical direction by Fran Gebuhr. Choreographed and co-directed by Kate Adams. Presented by Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts. Running July 8-24.

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