Diane Paulus to direct a new revival of 1776 on Broadway

Roundabout Theatre Company presents 1776 at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre in spring 2021.

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced a Broadway revival of the 1969 Tony Award-winning "Best Musical" 1776, in association with the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Tony Award winner Diane Paulus is set to direct the production which is scheduled to begin performances at the American Airlines Theatre in spring 2021.

Roundabout's Artistic Director/CEO, Todd Haimes, commented: "This is an exciting opportunity for us at Roundabout, to bring this beloved musical back to the Broadway stage in partnership with our colleagues at the A.R.T. I have enormous respect for Diane Paulus and very much look forward to collaborating with her on 1776, which is an important part of Roundabout's musical history on Broadway."

Roundabout Theatre Company also produced the first Broadway revival of 1776, which ran from July 1997 to June 1998 and earned three Tony Award nominations, including "Best Revival of a Musical".

1776 features a book by Peter Stone, with music & lyrics by Sherman Edwards.

Synopsis: "They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. Fed up with living under the tyranny of British rule, John Adams attempts to persuade his fellow members of the Continental Congress to vote in favor of American Independence and sign the Declaration. But how much is he willing to compromise in the pursuit of freedom? And who does that freedom belong to? This new production of the Tony Award-winning musical re-examines this pivotal moment in American history."

The production will first be mounted at the American Repertory Theater (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) from May 22 to June 28, 2020, before heading to a number of additional regional theatres (including Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in July 2020), and finally bowing on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre in spring 2021.

Broadway dates, casting and additional creative team information will be announced in due course.

Diane Paulus has previously directed the Broadway productions of Finding Neverland, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and two revivals of Hair, and she won a Tony Award for directing the 2013 revival of Pippin. She is currently represented on the Great White Way by Waitress and is also set to helm the Broadway premiere of the Alanis Morissette musical Jagged Little Pill, which begins previews on November 3, 2019.

^{(Photo by Susan Lapides)}