‘1776’ brings new perspective to Declaration signing
Local actor Sara Gallo part of female, transgender, nonbinary cast of actors
It’s only fitting when the Broadway revival of ‘1776’ decided to hit the road, it would make a first stop in Philadelphia.
The musical about the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence takes place fully in Philadelphia and originally opened on Broadway in 1969. The show won a Best Musical Tony Award and was made into a 1972 film that is still shown in history classes today.
This new revival features a multiracial cast of female, transgender and nonbinary actors portraying the founders of this country.
The show runs through Feb. 26 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Tickets are available in-person at the Forrest Theatre box office or on www.telecharge.com.
For Hatboro native Sara Gallo, appearing in “1776” is a dream come true, especially on the stage in Philadelphia.
“This is my mom’s favorite show,” said Gallo, who is a standby in the touring show. “Everybody is asking when I’ll be out there.”
Gallo was bitten by the show bug at an early age.
“I think ever since I was probably like 11, I knew I wanted to do this,” Gallo said. “I was that kid who always just wanted to perform, and it has always been a dream. I actually started at Dance Elite in Doylestown. I started in ballet trading pretty heavily, and then I started doing community shows, and then I did a production of “Damn Yankees” in fourth grade and kind of fell in love with it. So Dance brought me into theater.”
Now, Gallo comes home to, hopefully, get on stage in front of family and friends.
“I was so excited (when finding out the show would hit Philadelphia). I mean, it makes sense that we open in Philly, right? This is where it happened. I’m really excited for audiences to hear how much they talk about Philly and like the jokes about Philly, too. It’ll be very fun.”
The show features updated musical numbers and the actors bring a raw energy to the stage.
“It’s a really cool interpretation of (‘1776’),” Gallo said. “I feel like we have our own opinions and takes on these characters, and it’s just a very different telling of the story. And I feel like we’re a little more raw and tie the story into present situations with how we’re telling the story.”
This “1776” features music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. It is based on a concept by Sherman Edwards.
“It is fitting that the Broadway revival tour of ‘1776’ opens in Philadelphia, just down the street from where our country’s founders met almost 250 years ago to sign the Declaration of Independence,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. “We look forward to welcoming our audiences into the Forrest Theatre to experience this thought-provoking, reimagined production that is truly reflective of the diversity of America today.”
While pursuing her Broadway career in New York, Gallo also has time to give back to students. She routinely comes back to the region to help Hatboro-Horsham High School and other nearby schools.
“I choreographed shows for them, and I started a master class series where I bring Broadway actors in to work with the theater students and from all aspects of theater,” Gallo said. “So, yeah, I work very closely with some Philly schools.”
As a standby on this tour, Gallo goes through all the rehearsals and routines. She then sits back and hopes she will be on the stage.
“My grandma’s like, ‘When are you going on?’ ” Gallo said. “I’m hoping I get to go on soon. There will probably be opportunities, so hopefully (they’ll) get to see me on stage.”