Gets Me Every Time

I am not, by nature, a crier. My friend Niki & I were discussing last night while looking at wedding pictures that neither one of us are the type who cry at weddings - it's just not in either of our natures. This is not to say that I'm unemotional - to the contrary, I cry at funerals, sad movies, and any time I see my father tear up.... but weddings, graduations and happy occasions just don't inspire tears in me.

But there is one thing that gets me EVERY time. It's silly, and maybe just a little embarrassing. I cannot listen to the finale of the musical "1776" without getting completely choked up. I know it is merely a dramatization of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I know that only a small percentage of the signers are represented in the musical, that the declaration was not signed in one great ceremony but over a period of time, and that it's just a Broadway show about the Continental Congress and therefore more for entertainment than historical value. But there is just something about that final scene. For those not familiar with it, the final scene consists of a roll call of representatives from each state, each of whom steps forward and signs his name to the Declaration, followed by a dramatic gong of a bell:

"New Hampshire. Dr. Josiah Bartlett. {GONG}
Massachusetts. Mr. John Adams. {GONG}..."

and so on. The gong of the bell gets increasingly loud and dramatic, as does the orchestra swell in the background.

As the names are read, I get more and more choked up. I can't help thinking about what it meant for each of these men to sign their name to that document, branding themselves traitors to their home country and determined that what the colonies could attempt together would certainly be better than their current reality under England. I know the drama of it is cloying, and as a student of history should be wary of this purely emotional reaction... I don't know whether it's pride that I get to live here, nostalgia for a time when more people were proud to be Americans, or quite simply the perfect marriage of musical theatre and American history, two things that have always been passions of mine.

Several months ago I saw the amazing American historian and author David McCullough speak at a JFK Library forum. He was an absolute inspiration, and near the end of his remarks stated, "Read the books that you love. That’s the key. And reading aloud is a wonderful, wonderful way to bring a work alive, as is music. History should be taught with music. History should be taught with theater. History should be taught with art."

This weekend I will celebrate one my favorite holidays by watching my DVD of "1776" and perhaps tuning in to the CD in my car (the Original Broadway Cast with William Daniels has a superior finale and the preferred performances of most songs... the revival cast with Brent Spiner has better production values. I of course own both). I will celebrate the fact that the real meaning behind the 4th of July is the emotion, and that the art of theatre is able to stir these emotions in me.

Happy birthday, USA.