"Stay close to the candle; the stairway can be trechorous at times."

We toured Independence Hall today. It was pretty amazing for me because I’ve been a fan of the musical 1776 since I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to see the building where it all took place. One of my favorite scenes in 1776 is when the committee assigned to write the Declaration meets to determine who should write the first draft. They go into the foyer where they sing and dance up and down an open stairway, each of the committee members offering excuses to John Adams as to why they shouldn’t be the one to write it. Finally it comes down to Thomas Jefferson who only wants to go home to Virginia and get some lovin’. When he offers this excuse to Adams he declares, “But I burn Mr. A.” to which Adams responds, “So do I, Mr. J!”

Jefferson: “You?”
Franklin: “John.”
Livingstone: “You do?”
Sherman: “Who’d have thought it.”

To which Adams sings:

“Mr. Jefferson, Dear Mr. Jefferson
I’m only 41; I still have my virility,
And I can romp through Cupid’s grove with great agility.
But life is more than sexual combustability.”

And we all know who ends up writing the Declaration - which is half the fun of the song.

I was thrilled to be walking up and down that staircase. As we were headed back down, our tour guide said, “Be sure to rub your hand along the handrail. This is still the exact rail that Benjamin Franklin used.” I was elated to be using that same handrail, and it is a good thing because I tripped and fell, and while my fall was spectacular, it would have been worse if I hadn't been holding on to the rail. I guess I’ll leave the dancing on the stairs to the professionals.

When the movie version of the Broadway musical 1776 first came out, it was severely edited from its original director's cut. Under pressure from President Richard Nixon who objected to much of the play's politics, studio mogul Jack L. Warner cut 40 minutes. The mostly-restored version was released a few years ago on DVD.