A big twist to ‘1776’

There’s zero male presence in this re-telling of the founding of America, now playing at the Denver Center

The story of the Founding Fathers duking it out in Independence Hall during a hot Philadelphia summer is the stuff of legend. And for most, it’s well-trodden territory familiar to anyone who, at minimum, stayed awake during high school social studies.

1776 has been entertaining audiences since the 1960s with a musical version of the tale, and a new production of it just landed in a touring Broadway show at the Denver Center’s Buell Theatre.

Except the Founding Fathers here are a multi-racial mix of female, trans and non-binary actors who strap on the frock coats, buckled shoes and knee-high white socks to portray the slog through the messy business of starting up a country.

There’s a lot to love about this version directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus, starting with (my favorite) the fact that it probably makes all the waaaaaah-it’s-‘woke’-and-I-don’t-like-it! conservatives have a series of paroxysms at the very notion that the story could be told minus men.

More importantly, it’s a firm nod to the unassailable fact that women, people of color and other non-white-dudes made up a significant portion of the population in 1776 but were, of course, relegated to the sidelines.

There’s a fair amount of this type of alternative casting going on these days, so it’s not too much of a shock to see a lovely young Black woman (Gisela Adisa) playing the crusty, definitely-not-hot John Adams or a Whoopi Goldberg-ish Liz Mikel inhabiting the role of Benjamin Franklin.

Among a vibrant and talented cast, these two steal the show. For one, it’s Adams’ story as he tries to whip the votes necessary to get the thing done, and Franklin (at least in this telling) serves as both the comic relief and the voice of the elder statesperson dispensing pithy truisms as the rest of the founders flop about trying to figure out how far they can stick their necks out.

Compared to many a recent Broadway show, this one is short on impressive scenic pieces, fancy lights and other super-duper production values. It’s more of a minimalistic set with the emphasis on the story itself and the actors telling it. It’s a fair trade-off in some respects given the subject matter, but maybe a bit more pomp would have lifted this production from being a somewhat flat retelling of the American story despite the best efforts of the cast. At nearly three hours, it suffers from some bloat and interminably long scenes — particularly in Act Two. The songs are not especially memorable, save the agonizing “Momma, Look Sharp” sung by Brooke Simpson about the loss of her son in the war.

There are a fair number of laughs along the way and some lovely moments here and there, but innovative casting couldn’t save this production from falling short of its potential. Even the pit orchestra seemed less than interested in the goings-on even as the poignancy of the stifled voices of the 18^th century did their best to rise to the occasion.