Quad City Music Guild's “1776" at the Prospect Park Auditorium -- June 12 through 21.
Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 21
Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL
The winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and being presented locally in celebration of America's 250th-birthday year, the lauded historical musical 1776 enjoys a June 12 through 21 run at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium, the show lauded by the New York Times as "a most striking, most gripping musical" whose "characters are most unusually full."
With the seminal event in American history blazing to vivid life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits, 1776 puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, irritable, charming, often petty, and ultimately noble figures determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation. It's the summer of the musical's title, and the nation is ready to declare independence ... if only our founding fathers can agree to do it. 1776 consequently follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence. A funny, insightful, and compelling stage saga with a striking score by Sherman Edwards and legendary book by Peter Stone, 1776 won Tonys for Best Musical, Direction, and Featured Actor, and was deemed by the New York Post to be "a brilliant and remarkably moving work of theatrical art."
Making her Quad City Music Guild directing debut with 1776 is Kathryn Weber, whose previous credits with the organization include stage managing The Sound of Music and Jekyll & Hyde. Colleen Houlihan serves as the production's assistant director and Claire Schaecher Mason its music director, with additional members of Weber's creative team including: assistant music director Jonathan Turner; stage manager Colleen Gould; choreographer Beth Marsoun; set designer Colleen Houlihan; assistant set designer Allison Overton, costume designer Julia Jackson; lighting designer Robert Crist; sound designer Miranda Richards; props designer Sheri Olson; makeup designer Sue Cates; and producer Dave Blakey.
The historic triumvirate of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson is respectively portrayed by area-theatre veterans Matthew Call, Bob Manasco, and Thayne Lamb, with Michael Van Belle portraying the figure who will literally sign his John Hancock. Nearly two dozen additional area talents, meanwhile, complete the 1776 cast: Adam Beck; Brent Behrens; Russ Berberich; Gregory Braid; Andy Burman; Kendall Burnette; Hillary Erb; Greg Etzel; Curtis Fischer-Oelschlaeger; Gregory Graf; Jeremy Gray; Mar Holmes; Michael Kelley; Mark McGinn; John Donald O'Shea; Kevin Pieper; Mike Schmidt; Joseph Thomas; Bill Turner; Rachel Vickers; Jake Walker; and John Walston.
Quad City Music Guild's 1776 runs at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium June 12 through 21, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $15-20, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
