We all know that the phrase "All men are created equal" didn't originally include everyone. And yet those founding words blew open the limitations of an earlier age and helped our nation achieve — slowly, painfully — the pluralism that is its identity. Musical Theater Heritage's sold-out production of 1776, the Tony-Award-winning musical comedy about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, was powerful and unexpectedly moving. Some traditionalists may have objected to director Sarah Crawford's use of an all-female cast (the son of the composer, Sherman Edwards, loved it), but this was no drag performance. Crawford's naturalistic approach and the cast's committed performances and superb character studies brought to life the fallible yet heroic human beings who were our country's founders. Of course, we know the outcome, but this was thrilling theater — revolutionary, indeed.
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