(EDISON, NJ) -- Middlesex County's Plays-in-the-Park presents 1776 from July 8-18, 2026. The seminal event in American history blazes to vivid life in this most unconventional of Broadway hits.
1776 puts a human face on the pages of history as we see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, irritable, charming, often petty and ultimately noble figures, determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation.
It's the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence... if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence.
The cast includes Maximilian Jurisic (John Adams), Brian Lynch (Benjamin Franklin), Finnian Burns (Thomas Jefferson), Matthew Maiolo (John Dickinson), Shane De Lacy (Edward Rutledge), Sean Lynch-Littlejohn (Richard Henry Lee), Jo Ellen Burton (Abigail Adams), Olivia Conti (Martha Jefferson), Mike Patierno (John Hancock), David Thomas Hampson (Colonel Thomas McKean), Tom McNeill (Stephen Hopkins), Jason Tamashausky (James Wilson), Jason Benjamin (Charles Thompson), Zachary Lanton (Roger Sherman), Luke Gavin (Robert Livingston), Marc Mundsinger (Lewis Morris), Ed Faver (Andrew McNair), Joey Valenzuela (Samuel Chase), Kurt Abel (Reverend John Witherspoon), Skip Zipf (Caesar Rodney), Skyler Reed Lipkind (Courier), and James Hahn (George Read).
1776 features Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards and Book by Peter Stone.
Ticket price is $8.00 per adult; $5.00 per senior citizen 60 and over, children twelve (12) and under enter for free with a ticket stub. There are no refunds for any reason. Tickets are sold on-site at the box office at the Stephen J. Capestro Theater on the day of the performance only. No advance sales and no online ticketing options available. The box office opens at 5:30 pm and closes at 8:30pm for each show.
Plays-in-the-Park is located in Roosevelt Park in Edison, NJ off Route 1 next to the Menlo Park Mall. It is easily accessible from the N.J. Turnpike, Interstate 287, or the Garden State Parkway. When you arrive, Park Rangers will direct you to their free parking lot.
For more information on Plays-in-the-Park, click here.
