OPENING WEEKEND WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY SOLD OUT. DON'T DELAY IN RESERVING YOUR SEATS!! :-) For tickets, please visit www.HudsonPlayers.com or call 330-655-8522 As you watch the upcoming Hudson Players’ performance of the Tony-award winning, Broadway musical, 1776, you’ll wonder how the Declaration of Independence ever got done! Filled with sarcasm, name-calling, and physical altercations between politicians like John Adams, Ben Franklin and many others, the only likely difference between the congress of 1776 and the current one is the frequent outburst of songs. The cast, which just recently began its practices at Barlow Community Theatre in Hudson, consists of nearly all men (25) and two women, with nearly all being from the Hudson, Stow, Cuyahoga Falls, Twinsburg, Akron, and Barberton areas. For some, it’s their first show with the Hudson Players, and for others, like the co-music director Ron Jones, it’s the 4th show, and the 3rd time he’s assisted Roger Clary with the music (others include the award-winning Secret Garden and Spamalot). For Ron, 1776 has been on his “bucket list since it came out in the early 70’s…When Roger called, I jumped at the chance to be part of the production. Historically, this gives you a real inside to the creation of the Declaration of Independence…It wasn’t all just fun and games.” He comments further that the “music develops the historical significance of the people and social norms of the time.” Conni Caldren-Fleming, as choreographer (and first time with Hudson Players), has always wanted to do 1776, as it is one of her “favorite pieces of the theatre and I really want the audience to not only be entertained, but to understand that these characters were real people, risking literally everything including their lives, doing an impossible thing at an impossible time in history—and they succeeded!” Director Claudia Lillibridge, who previously directed The Secret Garden with Hudson Players, says that the greatest challenge of 1776 is “making sure there is space for everyone” as the cast is so large for many of the scenes. She goes on that “it is truly an honor to be involved in a show where the characters were real humans, with real lives, real problems and real joy.” The fun begins with a tied vote for independence and the rest is, well, history! John Adams, who takes most of the heat (literally and figuratively!) in the show, is played by Mark Durbin of Twinsburg. He is the victim being attacked in the first song, “For God’s Sake John, Sit Down!” which sets the humorous and energetic tone for the production. Joining Mark Durbin (Adams) are Gary Maher as John Hancock, Jessica DeFrange as Abigail Adams, long-time Hudson resident Jim Wolf as Richard Henry Lee, Michael J. Rogan as John Dickerson, Bob Kenderes as Andrew McNair, Adam Klusty of Barberton as Leather Apron, William Johns as the Courior, Thaddeus Bosman as Dr. Lyman Hall, Thomas Emerick as Stephen Hopkinson, and Mark Moore as Colonel Thomas McKean. John D. Haller plays Ceasar Rodney, Dan Williams is George Reed, Doug Lillibridge returns to Hudson Players as Lewis Morris, John Marfy portrays Robert Livingston, and John Alan Webb is cast as Joseph Hewes. Other cast members include Nathan Hill as Josiah Bartlett, Nathan Borukhovsky as Roger Sherman, Michael Guffey playing the red-haired and lonely Thomas Jefferson, Jessica West as Martha Jefferson, Sean Donavan as Samuel Chase, Issac Whitemarsh as the painter, Kirk Worcester (most recently of “Play On” with Hudson Players), Fig Jankowski as the cantankerous Ben Franklin (and formerly of the Addams Family production), Roger Parker as the Reverend John Witherspoon, and Thomas Horsfall as James Wilson. 1776 will be held at Barlow Community Theatre (41 S. Oviatt Rd, Hudson) February 5, 6, 12, 19, 20, 21*, 26, and 27 at 8 pm (*special 2 pm matinee). Tickets can be obtained by calling 330-655-8522, emailing info@HudsonPlayers.com, or visiting the website, www.hudsonplayers.com. You can also check out Facebook.com/hudsonplayers or twitter.com/hudsonplayers.