Fresh on the heels of its limited Broadway run at the American Airlines Theatre, “1776” will launch a national tour beginning on Feb. 11 at the Stanley Performing Arts Center in Utica, New York. An official opening night is set for Feb. 16 at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.
The touring cast includes many of the members of the Broadway revival.
Nancy Anderson, Tiffani Barbour, Shawna Hamic, Lulu Picart, Sav Souza and Jill Vallery reprise their Broadway roles for the tour as Thomas Jefferson, Andrew McNair, Richard Henry Lee, Samuel Chase, Dr. Josiah Bartlett and Caesar Rodney, respectively.
Also making the leap from New York to tour — though in new roles — are Shelby Acosta as Sec. Charles Thomson, Gisela Adisa as John Adams, Joanna Glushak as John Dickinson, Liz Mikel as Benjamin Franklin, Oneika Phillips as John Hancock, Ariella Serur as Judge James Wilson, Brooke Simpson as the Courier and Gwynne Wood as George Read.
New to the cast are Julie Cardia as Stephen Hopkins, Anissa Marie Griego as Roger Sherman, Kassandra Haddock as Edward Rutledge, Connor Lyon as Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall, Tieisha Thomas as Abigail Adams/Rev. John Witherspoon, Zuri Washington as Robert Livingston and Candice Marie Woods as Joseph Hewes.
Dawn Cantwell, who briefly joined the Broadway company, will appear on tour as Col. Thomas McKean. Tour standbys Sara Gallo and Lisa Karlin — who also briefly joined the Main Stem company as standbys — round out the cast.
“1776” is co-directed by Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page. Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards, the musical features a score by Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. Casting is by Stewart/Whitley.
The production was developed at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before it premiered on Broadway with Roundabout Theatre Company.
