"It's been quite a while, so I don't remember exactly what made me find the solemnity of 'Momma Look Sharp' unearned. I just remember that the change in tone seemed jarring, and I didn't feel the strong emotion that the song was trying to evoke. Of course, it didn't help that I hadn't enjoyed the show up to that point."
Thanks for explaining. Whether it works for you or not, the huge change in tone for that scene is entirely intentional, I'm sure, to suddenly bring home to the audience the cost of war in terms of the loss of lives among those who are fighting. And although I believe that's the first time this point is really made in the show, it's not the last. There's also the very moving dispatch from General Washington that the secretary reads towards the end of the show, where Washington writes something like "dear God, what brave men I shall lose before this business is done."
I think the Broadway revival of 1776 was good overall, but not great. I urge you to watch the movie in an uninterrupted viewing sometime if you have the opportunity. |
