I have seen 1776 several times now, and a couple of things remain consistent among all of the performances: the staging remains pretty much the same (there is only so much you can do with a historical piece that has 22 men onstage at the same time), the set looks pretty much the same (it's a historical piece with evidence as to how it did look), and some AMAZING talent always shows up in the cast (and not always in the lead roles). Little Theatre of Virginia Beach's cast is replete with talent, particularly with some professional level acting from a couple of the leads and some great singing from the ensemble.

The sound is particularly nice. 1776 is a great show if you love to hear 22 men singing some very nice numbers full voice, and this cast definitely excels in this respect. Even so, the music direction is not as tight as I would like, with people not using the same vowels and cutoffs and attacks not being performed precisely together. Still, the overall sound is impressive with obviously great voices throughout. The acting in the ensemble is a mixed bag, ranging from decent to distractingly bad. Particularly distracting are the reactions from the ensemble, such as the laughing, which sounds almost comically canned. Also, it seems at times that the ensemble does not know how to occupy themselves when not in the main part of the scene. Still, the whole cast is committed and energetic, and that energy keeps the piece moving along.

The role of John Adams is a very difficult musical theatre role as it requires so much stage time and earnest passion from the actor, and Marc Dyer delivers a strong, very driven, very impassioned performance. My only complaint is that the connection between John and Abigail (Kathy Hinson) seemed cold or nonexistent. The chemistry simply never developed between these characters and the audience wants to see the undying, fervent devotion. However Kathy sings beautifully and their numbers together are beautiful to listen to.

Another standout performance is that of Franklin (David Springstead). David Springstead delivers a professional caliber performance that is “bang on”. You love Franklin and his quirkiness from the moment he takes the stage, and moments where the show seems to be in trouble are saved by David's presence. Interestingly, his son Bob Springstead performs the role of Ben's arch-nemesis John Dickinson. Their quick biting arguments back and forth seem natural and well practiced (almost as if they've been doing it for years *wink*). Seriously though, Bob Springstead does a decent job with what I believe is another one of the most difficult roles in all of musical theatre, requiring the “villain” of the show to be understandable, real, human, and even likeable.

Other performances of note: Rutledge (Joseph Michael Moray) does a fine job with what most consider the most enviable piece in the show “Molasses to Rum” (every male singer I have ever met wants to perform it onstage at one point or another). Robert Livingston (Keith Oliver) has a beautiful voice and leaves the audience wanting more after his very brief part in ”But, Mr. Adams."

The lighting design (Sara Quilenderino) seems fine, but at times is more of a distraction than an aid in immersion. A perfect example of this is the excessive use of spotlights. Now, I have always hated spotlights, not because they aren't useful, but because the simple presence of them in the theatre makes directors think that they have to use them when they should be only used in special situations (i.e. off stage work where there is no lighting ... or trying to emulate a cabaret). The situation is exasperated by the fact that these spots are incredibly loud when they are warming up. One can predict with relative accuracy an upcoming solo simply by noting the interruption of the scene by the loud spotlight fans. Still, other things seem inconsistent about the lighting. The lighting inside the room changes, possibly for time of day, but outside the window stays bright blue... constantly. Furthermore, the light doesn't come through the window, like it does in real life. One nice touch, however, is the use of a tree gobo on the scrim to represent outdoors/park. That is all that is needed to set the scene, and is a welcome and useful device.

Staging is difficult throughout this production as the venue provides certain obstacles to the director. LTVB's stage is sort of a ¾ thrust that acts like a proscenium. As such, the front of the stage can be difficult to block, as it will constantly put backs to the audience on one side or another (normally not a problem on a real thrust as the audience can accept it, but this really acts like a proscenium). This problem becomes exasperated when you have the numbers on stage required in 1776. The Director (Kay Burcher) decided to avoid using much of the front part of the “thrust” for the chorus, leaving them upstage and leaving the large thrust open for people to come out and pace while soloing. Similarly, changes of scenes were handled by a close of the curtain and putting the scene on the thrust. This does not help pacing because the tables still need to be moved slightly behind or in front of the curtain and we still have to endure scene changes. Problems compound as scenes become more complicated and one scene which has five conversations going on at once ends up putting action upstage center where it can not be seen because lesser action is happening downstage left and a whole section of conversation is missed by a third of the audience.

The director also does no favors for the actors by giving them some awkward blocking. Since there is really not much room to maneuver between tables in the congress (because it is crammed in the back of the stage) all solos, as I have already noted, are delivered on the thrust (with a spotlight) making it nigh impossible for the actor to make any real connection with the rest of the people on stage. Another example of awkward blocking comes as the director attempts to put a button on the end of “The Lees” by having Richard Henry Lee NOT leave for Virginia and instead come back to center stage to share that spotlight with John and Ben. Pacing comes to a halt, and the audience feels very awkward. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many scenes that are blocked just fine, like the John and Abigail scenes, but nothing is so creative that it makes up for the other rather awkward scenes.

Attention to detail also seems to be lacking at points; for instance, when the courier comes into the room, he walks as if he just walked down the block when instead we are to believe that he just came from a battlefield miles away and should be rather hurried and/or exhausted. Similarly, the courier tells of how he lost friends on the battlefield with a surprising excitement and lack of remorse that is quite out of place, as if he was relating how cool Heath Ledger was as the Joker. Also, at one point John Hancock joins in on the minuet dancing the same steps as the rest of the right wing congressmen. This is a glaring inconsistency as, at that very moment, John Hancock is saying that he’d rather not join in their dance.

If you have not seen 1776, I suggest you leap up to grab the phone and reserve your tickets now. This performance adequately relates the troubles of the times and the performances of John Adams and Ben Franklin really transport the audience and let you feel the passion they felt for the cause. If you have already seen 1776 AND you have already seen David Springstead performance of Ben Franklin (the best Franklin I have ever seen anywhere), then consider this just another run-of-the-mill rendition of the show, with a very nice sound from the manly ensemble... not a must see, but enjoyable.

1776 runs through August 10th. Call (757) 428-9233 for reservations.