A show that takes you back– and forward: “1972” NOW ONSTAGE and NOT TO MISS!!

Photo: Nile Scott Studios

“1972” presented by American Repertory Theater at Farkas Hall is a world premiere “heightened theatrical concert” that will inflame your social conscience and stir your soul! It’s the true tale of the underground abortion rights group out of Chicago whose members– in an “I am Spartacus” moment– each called themselves JANE. Working against most state laws, the Catholic Church, and the butchery of mob-supported illegal abortions, the “Janes” or the Jane Collective joined arms to help thousands of desperate women secure safe abortions before Roe v.Wade made abortion legal.

 

Gracie McGraw, Jackera Davis, and members of the cast in 1972 /Photo: Nile Scott Studios
The show opens with 12 musician/actors ringing out the title song, an anthemic call to action and freedom. That message is channelled through 19 year-old Hannah (Gracie McGraw) on the run and pregnant by an alcoholic abuser. She sings like a wounded angel, one voice for the many she meets on the road or riding the rails. Trouble links them, men and women, each one seeking refuge as they find their way in the world.

Gracie McGraw and Chadwick Stokes in 1972/ Photo: Hawver and Hall
Chadwick Stokes (of the Boston-based indie bands DISPATCH and State Radio) created the show and composed its gorgeous, rolling folk-rock music and lyrics, taking us back to the 70’s when activism jangled the zeitgeist. His voice and that of this band of traveling, story-telling musicians burrow deep, lyrics swelling with poetry: “The world keeps turning and the stars keep burning through the atmosphere.” Those words  locate these events within the timeless universe, and a force propelling us all through this life together.

Photo: Hawver and Hall

Stokes also co-wrote the book with Jessie Nelson (WAITRESS) who directs these 80 minutes, no intermission with brilliant economy. Light and shadow play on a simple two-tiered set, locating us anywhere and everywhere at once, projections of railroad tracks or the night sky illuminating each moment as the show gathers emotional and dramatic steam. We meet folks struggling with substance abuse and abandonment, homelessness and assault, loneliness and desperation as the tale sweeps us toward a climactic moment in 1972 when the Janes hit a detour– but not a roadblock.

Brit King, Hannah Foxman, Khaila Wilcoxon, Darby Patterson, and Jackera Davis in 1972. Photo: Hawver and Hall

What unfolds onstage is a tapestry of personal courage, tragedy, and activism stitched together with hope and compassion. This multi-talented troupe of singer-instrumentalist-actors become characters we instantly feel for, one voice more glorious than the next. There’s Jakera Davis as young Louisa whose aching vocals tear your heart out and whose dreams fall short of a moon landing. Khaila Wilcoxon as Harlan, sings to resurrect the dead and raise a revolution. Whether they perform in quartets or trios or in unison– we feel their strength in camaraderie and their power to make change.

Will Urmston, Chadwick Stokes, and Darren Buck in 1972. Photo: Nile Scott Studios

 

1972 may begin with the story of a band of women taking an active political stance on abortion–but the show’s potency lies in its making palpable the connection between women’s rights and every human being’s right to self-determination, the yearning for freedom, and the universal need for love and acceptance. The creators have tapped into a deep well of humanity and relevance in a battle still raging long after 1972. I was thrilled and inspired.

1972 NOW EXTENDED– by popular demand– through SUNDAY DECEMBER 6, presented by American Repertory Theater at Farkas Hall on Holyoke Street, Harvard Square! Get a ticket FAST!