Educational AND Entertaining

One of the ways I got sucked into musicals in the first place when Ma got snookered into one of those MGM deals where one gets seven musicals for a penny each, then has to buy one every three months at regular price. Out of desperation, she purchased 1776, which I must say that at age 11, put me straight to sleep. 

There was just so much talking. 

I warily popped it back into the VCR when I was 18, and found myself raucously hooting with laughter.

While I can't get some adults to watch it (they also can't stand all the jabbering) others are entertained by the excellent writing and the hilarious lyrics. Such as this snippet from "But Mr. Adams":

Franklin:
Mr. Adams, I say you should write it
To your legal mind and brilliance we defer

Adams:
Is that so? Well, if I'm the one to do it
They'll run their quill pens through it
I'm obnoxious and disliked, you know that, sir

Franklin:
Yes, I know 

John Adams, in the 1972 film, was played by William Daniels, who also played Feeny in the '90s show Boy Meets World. I happened to have known him from the latter before seeing the former, so that piqued my interest.

Broadway staged a revival in 1997, and John Adams was played by—wait for it, sci-fi lovers—Brent Spiner, also known as Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. "Blue Skies" in Nemesis wasn't the first time he sang, it seems.

His rendition of Sit Down, John! is on my iPod, and he definitely holds his own. 

But here is the magnificent original.