Al Hirschfeld's "1776"

Theatre caricaturist Al Hirschfeld produced this illustration of the original cast of "1776" for The New York Times issue of March 1, 1969. John Adams (William Daniels) is shown quill pen in hand surrounded by Ben Franklin (Howard Da Silva), Edward Rutledge (Clifford Davis), Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard), John Dickinson (Paul Hecht), and Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate), the founding fathers. This was my first Broadway show. It was awarded the Tony Award in 1969 for Best Musical. The movie version was released in 1972 with much the same cast. There was a fine Broadway revival in 1997.

Al Hirschfeld, "1776," The New York Times, March 16, 1969

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For the 1997 revival of the play, Hirschfeld produced this lithograph.

Al Hirschfeld, "1776," Lithograph, AP IV/XV, 1997 (Revival)

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"The Egg" from "1776" (1972)

Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards

Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson

Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin

William Daniels as John Adams

"The Signing" from "1776" (1972)

Note:  There's more about Al Hirschfeld here.

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