Ben Franklin

company: Portland Center Stage

Date Viewed: 10/28/2009

When my grandma emailed me, and said “Ben Franklin on Wed” I had no idea what that meant…but oh well sounded like an adventure, and it was! The show was held in the basement theater, which ususally means a small cast. One man to be exact. I have seen a few shows in this basement, but his was my favorite by far!

Josh Cornbluth was his name, and he really did look like Ben Franklin! His show was part fact, and i can only hope part fiction.  It opens with him alone in his apartment in Berkely, and his Jewish mothercalls from Hometown, East Coast. His aunt takes the phone and starts yelling baout this fantastic set-up she has, where he could do comic relief spots, dressed as Ben Franklin in New York City, seeing all the new inventions and such.

He was funny, and real, related to his sudience, and made my mother cry…she actually cried laughing. But at the same time, you never lost sight of the fact he was 40-something, and for the first time really dealing with the loss of his father, his baggage from his mother, and for the first time really gettign to know his own Ben Franklin.

He tells the whole story of his crazy weekend, as if he is telling a friend, I actuallyl ost sight that it was only one man on stage!

The show was FANTASTIC and i hope he returns soon with another show!