It is the oppressively hot and humid summer of 1776 in Philadelphia, and the Continental Congress is growing weary of the heat, and of the eternal bickering which marks its deliberations. General Washington is in the field against the British, but the Congress is still unresolved as to whether to make a final break from the mother country. Boston firebrand John Adams, assisted by his good friends Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, must persuade their wavering colleagues that the time has come to Declare for Independence, and found a new nation. This is the acclaimed musical 1776, which was presented by Bryn Athyn Community Theater in five performances in April, 1998. There were 857 tickets sold.