Barbour, Cuccioli, Earley and Schuck Will Be Among Paper Mill's 1776 Cast

By Andrew Gans
February 17, 2009

Intitial casting has been announced for the Paper Mill Playhouse's upcoming production of the Tony-winning musical 1776, which will begin performances at the New Jersey venue April 15.

According to a spokesperson for the famed regional theatre, the cast will include James Barbour as Edward Rutledge, Robert Cuccioli as John Dickinson, John Schuck as Benjamin Franklin and Kevin Earley as Thomas Jefferson. Additional casting will be announced shortly. Gordon Greenberg will direct.

1776, according to the Paper Mill, "follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Richard Henry Lee 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."

Performances will continue through May 17.

1776, based on the arguments and politics involved in the signing of the Declaration of Independence, opened on Broadway in March 1969, playing 1,217 performances before closing Feb. 13, 1972. With a score by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, the original cast featured William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Betty Buckley, David Ford, Ronald Holgate, Ken Howard and Virginia Vestoff. Peter H. Hunt directed the 1972 film, which featured many of the original Broadway cast members, including Daniels, Da Silva and Howard. Directed by Scott Ellis, a 1997 revival for the Roundabout Theatre Company starred Tom Aldredge, Michael Cumpsty, Dashiell Eaves, Gregg Edelman, Pat Hingle, Linda Emond, Merwin Foard, Brent Spiner, Paul Michael Valley and Lauren Ward.

Paper Mill Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, NJ. For tickets call (973) 376-4343 or visit www.papermill.org.