1776 (musical)/Characters

John Adams (William Daniels)
Our Hero, so to speak. A Boston revolutionary who really hates shutting up, Adams' abrasive nature belies his good intentions and brilliant mind.


 * Anti Hero: Type III
 * Catch Phrase: Good God!
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Happily Married
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Dead Presidents

Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva)
Exactly What It Says On the Tin.


 * Chessmaster
 * Dirty Old Man: and still quite the charmer.
 * Eccentric Mentor
 * The Obi Wan

Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard)
Adams wants him to write the Declaration. Jefferson, however, has much more important things on his mind - namely, his wife.


 * Gentleman Snarker
 * Happily Married
 * Refused the Call
 * The Quiet One
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts
 * Dead Presidents

Abigail Adams (Virginia Vestoff)
Our Hero's sensible, level-headed wife. Also wants pins - the sewing kind.


 * Closer to Earth
 * Happily Married

John Dickinson (Donald Madden)
Our Antagonist, so to speak. A Philadelphia gentleman, Dickinson revels in being cool and conservative. The only man in Congress able to match wits with Adams. Dead-set against Independence, but "regards America no less than does Mr Adams." Proves it.


 * Gentleman Snarker
 * Worthy Opponent: he gets a standing ovation when he leaves Congress - instigated by Adams, of all people.

Edward Rutledge (John Cullum)
A Southern plantation owner from South Carolina. Gives possibly the most epic What the Hell Hero known to musical theatre in the form of "Molasses to Rum." The youngest man in Congress - except for Ben Franklin.


 * Gentleman Snarker: there really is no other way to be in these times!
 * Large Ham
 * Southern Gentleman
 * What the Hell Hero: "Molasses to Rum" is this, in song form, to Adams.
 * Show Stopper: "Molasses to Rum" will do this.

Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate)
A Large Ham of epic proportions. Performs this role magnificent-Lee.


 * One Scene Wonder: enough that it got him a Tony.
 * Verbal Tic: Why, natural-Lee.
 * Large Ham
 * Show Stopper: "The Lees of Old Virginia," which explains the Tony nod mentioned above.
 * Minor Character Major Song
 * I Am Song: And how.

John Hancock
The long-suffering president of Congress. Too hot - literally. Philadelphia is baking in the summer.


 * Reasonable Authority Figure

Caesar Rodney
Delegate from Delaware. Staunch defender of independence.


 * Badass Grandpa: rode 80 miles overnight to cast the deciding vote for Delaware while suffering from debilitating cancer

Judge James Wilson
Dickinson's toady. Continuously forgets that Pennsylvania cannot second its own motion.


 * History Marches On: when the play was written, it was considered as good an interpretation of the historical record as any. Then new sources became available, and it turns out Wilson was probably hedging his bets the same way Lyman Hall was.
 * Yes Man: To Dickinson, but see History Marches On.

Dr. Lyman Hall
New delegate from Georgia.


 * Chekhov's Gunman: he seems to be just a vehicle to introduce the other main characters. He's not.
 * Naive Newcomer: he expects the Congress to be more impressive than it actually is.

Col. Thomas McKean
A loud Scotsman. Also from Delaware. His loud voice belies his soft heart.


 * Boisterous Bruiser: not a very effective one, granted.

Josiah Bartlett

 * Names the Same: The great-grandson of his great-grandson would later become president of the United States.

Rev. James Witherspoon

 * Preacher Man

Stephen Hopkins
The oldest man in Congress -- except for Ben Franklin.


 * The Alcoholic
 * Drunken Master: Claims that drinking rum helps him.
 * Grumpy Old Man

Samuel Chase

 * Big Eater

Lewis Morris

 * Catch Phrase: "New York abstains courteously!"
 * Its Personal: After
 * My Country Right or Wrong - Well, more like his state, but states were considered similar to countries at the time anyway; he abstains from voting because New York didn't actually give him instructions on whether or not to vote for independence.

The Courier

 * No Name Given
 * Bearer of Bad News: seeing as how he's always carrying distraught messages from George Washington.
 * One Scene Wonder: he walks in and out a few times but has no dialogue. Then, in comes 'Mama, Look Sharp' and he's one of the most remembered charecters in the play.

Martha Jefferson (Blythe Danner)

 * Acceptable Breaks From Reality: She never visited hubby in Philadelphia.
 * Happily Married
 * One Scene Wonder: well, Two Scene Wonder. We see her snogging Jefferson, and then she sings "He Plays the Violin" before she goes off to snog Jefferson again.
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts: Snogs Jefferson long enough to completely forget and completely ignore ever meeting Franklin and Adams until the next day.

George Washington

 * The Eeyore
 * The Ghost
 * Dead Presidents