{"id":39023,"date":"2026-11-04T14:36:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T21:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/?p=39023"},"modified":"2026-11-12T21:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T04:00:05","slug":"1972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/2026\/11\/1972\/","title":{"rendered":"1972"},"content":{"rendered":"

Musical, Rock Opera (2026)
\nMusic and Lyrics by Chadwick Stokes
\nBook by Chadwick Stokes and Jessie Nelson
\nCreated by Chadwick Stokes
\nDirected by Jessie Nelson
\nAmerican Repertory Theater<\/a>
\nFarkas Hall
\nHarvard Square, Cambridge, MA
\nOctober 27 – December 6, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Music Director: Jacob Yates; Choreographer: Jill Johnson; Scenic Designer: Amy Rubin; Costume Designer: Nicole Jescinth Smith; Lighting Designer: Ben Stanton; Sound Designer: Justin Stasiw; Hair, Wig & Make-up Designer: Krystal Balleza><\/strong><\/p>\n

With Gracie McGraw (Hannah), Chadwick Stokes (Depot), Will Urmston (Pinto), Darren Buck (Eddy\/Dr. Don\/Officer O’Reilly), Jackera Davis (Louisa), Hannah Foxman (Jane\/Lawyer), Brit King (Jane), JR King (Demi), Jhardon DiShon Milton (Ensemble\/Milt), Tommy Ng (Ensemble), Darby Patterson (Jane), Khaila Wilcoxon (Harlan)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Musicians: Chadwick Stokes (guitar, vocals), Will Urmston (guitar, banjo, vocals), JR King (drums), Darren Buck (vocals), Brit King (violin, vocals), and vocals by the rest of the ensemble<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Chadwick<\/a>
Chadwick Stokes as Depot
in “1972”
Photo: Hawver and Hall
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
An exuberant and beautifully written and performed rock oratorio about abortion, homelessness and human rights in the early 1970s.<\/div>\n

Hannah (Gracie McGraw) is a nineteen year old fleeing a brutal relationship and she’s pregnant. She encounters Depot (Chadwick Stokes) who invites her to join him and his gang hopping freight trains. Somewhere along the line, Hannah goes to a bad abortionist and encounters Louisa (Jackera Davis) who is in a similar predicament. When things look bad there, Hannah and Louisa escape, but not without consequences. (See Spoilers section below.) Later on, in Chicago, Hannah encounters the Janes (Brit King, Hannah Foxman, Khaila Wilcoxon, Darby Patterson), a group of women who nobly support people like Hannah, despite the current state of the law at the time which forbade legal abortion. Of course, this is 1972, the year before the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade<\/em> which gave women the right to abortion before the stage of fetal viability.<\/p>\n

\"Will<\/a>
Will Urmston as Pinto
Gracie McGraw as Hannah
Chadwick Stokes as Depot
in “1972”
Photo: Nile Scott Studios
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What a lively and wonderful production this is, with music and lyrics beautifully written by Chadwick Stokes, a book by him and Jessie Nelson, and performed exuberantly by a wonderful troupe of musicians and actors. There is such incredible energy in this show that it is hard to not be swept up in it. The music is rambunctious and varied, sometimes filled with acid rock modalities, sometimes with folkie soft rock ones. It all comes off magnificently well.<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/a>
Members of the cast of “1972”
Photo: Nile Scott Studios
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clearly, the musical inspirations come from the early 1970s and the garb is suited to the era. Stokes, a bristling man of fifty, wears his hair from the rockdom of the era and dons a headband to boot – he’s perfectly suited up – and he plays guitars – electric and acoustic – like a magician, wired and reverberant. So do his musical sidekicks: Will Urmston, on the second guitar, JR King on the drums, Darren Buck on third vocals, and Brit King on the violin. Each of them is a superb musician, riveting with energy, and versatile. When Brit King puts down her fiddle, she joins the women’s chorus of Jane’s<\/em> with gusto and verve. JR King, on the drums, is a whirlwind of rock energy, and in vocal harmony, Stokes, Urmston and Buck are like a second coming of Crosby, Stills and Nash, eloquent and lyrical.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade<\/em> in 2022, with their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization<\/em><\/div>\n
\"Will<\/a>
Will Urmston as Pinto
Chadwick Stokes as Depot
Darren Buck as Eddy
in “1972”
Photo: Nile Scott Studios
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The music is vivid and beautifully played, and the lyrics, at times, are sometimes truly out of this world. There is a piece near the end which smacks of Hamilton<\/em>-ianism, with an endless alliterative detailing of words that the cast puts out energetically and effortlessly, to great effect.<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/a>
Members of the cast of “1972”
Photo: Hawver and Hall
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Hannah, Gracie McGraw offers a wonderfully tender rendition, supported by a clear and penetrating voice. As Louisa, Jackera Davis offers, as well, a wonderful presence with reverberant and eloquent vocals. All of the Janes are great in different way, and, as their main spokesperson, Harlan, Khaila Wilcoxon offers particular distinctiveness and dramatic vitality.<\/p>\n

\"Gracie<\/a>
Gracie McGraw as Hannah
Jackera Davis as Louisa
in “1972”
Photo: Nile Scott Studios
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though cast as a rock opera, this is really more of an oratorio, with musicians arrayed on the stage, and action, dramatized but not fully staged, interspersed among them. Whatever one calls it, the production is great, and moving. Its treatment of a significant issue – the plight of women, especially, as in this case, those wrongfully impregnated, to not be able to receive safe abortions – is thoughtful and evocative. That such a show can deal with such a challenging and difficult issue and give it such incredible verve and energy is a significant achievement.<\/p>\n

\"Brit<\/a>
Brit King as Jane
Hannah Foxman as Jane
Khaila Wilcoxon as Harlan
Darby Patterson as Jane
Jackera Davis as Louisa
Photo: Hawver and Hall
Courtesy of American Repertory Theater<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A completely new, as yet unproduced, play by Kate Hamill entitled The Janes<\/em> is about the Jane Collective, the radical feminist group featured in 1972<\/em>, that, despite its illegality at the time, supported women in Chicago to receive abortions – 11,000 in all – between 1968 and 1972. (It received a reading at the American Repertory Theater on November 9, 2026.)<\/div>\n
<\/span>Extra info: contains spoilers<\/div>
When things at the shady abortionist look sketchy, Hannah escapes before the procedure. Sadly, Louisa does get an abortion from that guy and dies of an infection afterwards. Ultimately, Hannah is able to receive a safe abortion through The Janes – the underground anonymous organization in Chicago which facilitated safe abortions for over 11,000 women – and is able to look forward to her future life with a greater sense of choice. <\/div><\/div>\n

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Musical, Rock Opera (2026)
\nMusic and Lyrics by Chadwick Stokes
\nBook by Chadwick Stokes and Jessie Nelson
\nAmerican Repertory Theater<\/a>
\nFarkas Hall
\nHarvard Square, Cambridge, MA
\nOctober 27 – December 6, 2026<\/strong>
\nAn exuberant and beautifully written and performed rock oratorio about abortion, homelessness and human rights in the early 1970s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-musicals","category-operas","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39023"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39191,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39023\/revisions\/39191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonartsdiary.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}