Sing And Sign

1776 celebrates that important Declaration

Comments (0) By Dianna Wray Thursday, Nov 6 2008

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People think of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a decorous affair, with a lot of breeches-clad men gathered around a huge piece of paper, already posing for the commemorative portrait. Well, nothing is ever as neat as history would have it, and there's no better way to learn about how things happened in Philadelphia than to see a show where Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams sing, dance and talk politics. When it premiered, nobody believed a musical about "founding fathers" singing and dancing could succeed. However, 1776, a Tony award-winning musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone, was a smash hit on Broadway, and now the founding fathers are bringing their act to Denton for the Denton Community Theatre's production of 1776. See John Adams cross the boards of the Campus Theatre, singing about the United States, saltpeter (it's for gunpowder) and the annoyances of an indecisive Congress. Showings are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The theater is located at 214 W. Hickory in Denton. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $10 for children and students. Visit dentoncommunitytheatre.com.
Fri., Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 9, 2 p.m., 2008