Jefferson & Adams

Jefferson & Adams tells the story of the turbulent 50-year friendship through the correspondence of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Abigail Adams. The play focuses on both the intersections and divergences in their lives and beliefs from their work together at the Continental Congress until the year of their deaths. In a remarkable coincidence, both men died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The story is constructed from the voluminous correspondence between these two statesmen, discussing the events that shaped the new nation and the world as well as revealing the serious political disagreements that almost destroyed their friendship.  Adams’s perceptive and articulate wife Abigail is the third character in the play.   Excerpts from the letters are woven into a compelling script, full of rich, poignant, and prophetic language indicative of the characters’ keen intellect, strong convictions, dedication to their country, and devotion to their wives and families.  The heart-felt dialogue reveals the essence and vicissitudes of the characters and communicates the spirit of the time and the enormously pivotal events that shaped American, world, and human history.