Elizabeth A. Davis plays Thomas Jefferson in Broadway's '1776.' The actor joins Trending to talk all about the musical and her character. 

Between Bells

Actor Elizabeth A. Davis Stars in Broadway's '1776' 

new broadway is a reimagining of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The show features all of the founding fathers? You know, But with a twist? The cast is made up of all female trans and non binary performers. I sat down with Elizabeth, a Davis who plays my sixth great grandfather, thomas jefferson and the musical take a look and we've got to talk about this play. I'm excited about this because 17 76 takes a look at the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. And After it was successful in Cambridge, it's now coming to Broadway. This huge congratulations on that. So how is it going to change or be the same from what it was at Cambridge. Now, that's on Broadway in essence, we have the same show because it won the Tony in 1969. This is indeed a revival of a look again in a new moment at older material, but the text itself is not changing the lyrics, they're the same. The text is the same, but but the perspective is totally different. Uh so right now, we're just in like fine tuning mode. We're just making sure things are humming along as they should. We're in that process of just going in and tweaking tiny moments to make sure that um we're really saying exactly what we're intending to say. And you're playing a very familiar character. My sixth great grandfather thomas Jefferson so shook at that. Right, okay, so we we know a lot about him? So how are you going to portray this character? And how did you prepare to play this now? Famous founding father? I went to Monticello twice the first time I went the pandemic literally the day before Monticello had closed because the pandemic had started. So, um, I obviously my husband and my son and I went back, but I've read, you know, I read several books, two of which being by Professor Annette Gordon? Reed at Harvard University from texas. Um, so there's been a lot of historical marinating and also other Harvard professors who have spoken into our process. Um, and just, you know, podcasts reading suddenly finding myself interested in in a moment that I thought I knew and I didn't, was there something to surprise you that you thought you knew and you're like, oh wait, what this happened? Sure. I mean that's obviously a can of worms, but but I'll say this, I think to maybe to, to put a headline on it, is this what occurred was was brilliant and also at a great cost. And so that dichotomy has been so interesting to say these were human beings who were deeply flawed and also brilliant. And what does that mean for us in this moment, as we look back? But we can't go back, we have to go forward. So what does that mean for us right now, as we look back, how can we present a mirror and say this is how we need to move forward differently or in the same way or how do we move forward? Well this is definitely a different twist on the musical because the cast is made up of females, trans and non binary cast members. So how do you think that is going to play into people's interpretation of it? And how important is that for you all to make sure that wasn't in play? Conceptually our directors Diane paulus and Jeffrey L page, they set up the antithesis immediately in the show. Uh you see a projection of what was a Trumbull painting of the of the founding fathers. You see that projection not to give too much away. Um and then what you see next is our cast and the antithesis that we're setting up is all of the people you're going to see in this production would not have been allowed in the room in the room where it happens to, you know, pull some hamiltonian. Uh they would not have been there, they would not have been allowed to be there. So we're listening with fresh ears to the same words coming out of the mouths of people that you would not anticipate being able to tell this story. Well, this is an amazing feat for you, not only because it's a broadway show, but you also had to learn your lines for the play plus the songs and the musical and you learn to play the violin pieces that thomas Jefferson actually played? How daunting was that task because there were a lot of pressure to pull all of that off. Yeah, I I say in the show that there's a lot of ways to screw up. I can either script on my lines, either singing and the violin. Uh, but ultimately it's a it's a wonderful joy to be able to do all of those things at the same time in a 2.5 hour span. And yes, indeed, the pieces that the music team have put together, you can't find in the archives at Monticello that Jefferson did play, Oh, thanks to Elizabeth, a Davis 1776 is on Broadway right now. And you all, you have to tell you, my wife and I went to the play the other night. There's us with the cast, they are amazing, they are so talented. I just love everything that they bring to this production and I love the perspective and how we feel about race and contemporary times and how they put a spin on it there as well. Well, especially given the Thomas Jefferson. Exactly. You know, that's a really close story to you