Playwright: music & lyrics by Sherman Edwards, book by Peter Stone. At: Signal Ensemble at the Chopin, 1543 W. Division. Phone: 773-347-1350; $20-$25. Runs through: March 1
You won't see this musical in a studio, storefront or cabaret. The year is 1776, our setting is the Second Continental Congress of the United States, our personnel are the delegates from the thirteen colonies, and our play's story is the, literally, unprecedented decision to declare independence from English rule. Not only history ( which Benjamin Franklin wisely observes, 'will clean it all up' ) , but dramatic tension demands a full 21-voice chorus of voters. Indeed, if Peter Stone's astonishingly accurate book accomplishes nothing else, it reminds us just how near we came to staying a part of the British Commonwealth.
A non-equity company essaying so ambitious a project is a proposition almost as daring as that of its play's subject, but the 5-year-old Signal Ensemble has forged a reputation for big shows situated on small budgets. Besides, however they may be depicted in formal portraits, the Founding Fathers were far from fashionable gentry, and if their onstage environs and apparel appear somewhat shabby, it's no fault of designers Melania Lancy, Noel Henke, Ora Jewell-Busche or Laura M. Dana. The attempt to overcome the flawed acoustics of the Chopin's main auditorium with floor-microphones and a seven-piece orchestra ( clearly visible upstage ) , however, will require a few more performances in front of an audience to achieve the ideal balance.
The 26 actors assembled for this venture, despite being uniformly younger than their respective personae by a decade or more, create uncaricatured ( if broadly drawn ) personalities at all times distinct and individualized, while never stooping to actorly indulgence at the expense of their characters ( no easy task during the occasional moment when Sherman Edwards' stirring score veers a bit too close to preciosity ) . Philip Winston's obstinate John Adams, Vincent L. Lonergan's witty Benjamin Franklin and Jon Steinhagen's 'cool, conservative' John Dickinson may take center stage for most of the action, but by the time we go home, we feel a personal acquaintance with every last one of the insurgents, from Tim Howard's scholarly Thomas Jefferson and Jeremy Trager's languid Edward Rutledge, right down to Eric Lindahl's weary battlefront courier.
Ronan Marra's direction keeps the panoramic stage picture always vibrant, while Andra Velis Simon and her musicians deliver harmonies far exceeding their numbers to bring the show home in a commendably efficient three hours. Yes, we knew the ending going in, but we can still be glad we didn't have to sing God Save The Queen after doing so.