MAYOR GIULIANI DELIVERS CURTAIN SPEECH FOR THE RE-OPENING OF 1776 ON BROADWAY
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani tonight delivered the curtain speech for the re-opening of 1776 at the Gershwin Theater in Manhattan. The Mayor also presented Director Stewart Lane and Producer and cast member Pat Hingle with a Proclamation naming today as "1776 Day" in New York City.
The play, which won the Tony Award when it was first done on Broadway almost 30 years ago, celebrates the courage, foresight and determination of the Founding Fathers in drafting the Declaration of Independence.
"I'm thrilled to be here at the grand re-opening of this wonderful show," Mayor Giuliani said. "This is the greatest kind of theatrical work because, at the same time that it entertains us with humor, song, and drama, it teaches us basic lessons about the nature of history and about human nature. 1776, now with a larger set, a bigger orchestra, and the same wonderful cast, shows us that history is created by men and women, not by forces that are beyond our control.
"People like Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin, who gave birth to the greatest country in the world, were real people with real moral quandaries," the Mayor added. "When we understand our history in this way and learn from the people who, in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, helped this country reach such great heights -- from Washington, to Lincoln, to Susan B. Anthony, to Roosevelt, to Martin Luther King, Jr. -- there is no limit to what we can achieve in the future."
Mr. Lane said, "This beautiful production takes a moment in American history and makes it exciting, suspenseful and thrilling. I am proud that everybody, from the producers, to the theater owner, to the cast members have gone out of their way to make the revival of 1776 happen and to make it affordable for the enjoyment of the entire family. I want to thank Mayor Giuliani for his support. He's the best Mayor we've had for the arts in decades."
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