LET’S BE FRANKLIN
Were our Founding Fathers good fathers to their children? Lloyd Suh‘s play Franklinland, directed by Chika Ike, now having its world premiere at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, concerns one of the greatest polymaths of all time. The only person to sign the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Paris, peace with Britain, and the Constitution. The man who gave us the lightning rod, more efficient street lamps, bifocals, the flexible urinary catheter, the odometer, swimming fins, the glass harmonica, and the Franklin stove to cook turkeys. He was the first postmaster general, a printer, a publisher, a political philosopher, and he shaped our world. But was Benjamin Franklin a good father?
Thomas Jay Ryan & Noah Keyishian
He wasn’t according to Suh (The Chinese Lady, The Heart Sellers, The Far Country). His comedy gives us a charming, controlling Franklin, mannered but sarcastic, especially toward his illegitimate son, William. Historically, Benjamin Franklin had a daughter and a son with his wife, but recognized an out-of-wedlock son, William, whom he nurtured (the mother is unknown — to us, anyway). Unfortunately, William became royal governor of New Jersey, loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution while his father was at the head of the revolutionary party, and Franklinland is all about the conflict between the two.
Noah Keyishian & Thomas Jay Ryan
The play starts in Philadelphia in 1752, inside a barn that serves as Franklin’s lab. Father and son stand over a table where Ben, 46, is preparing a kite while William, 20, looks on. A thunderstorm outside announces the birth of the lightning rod. Scenic Designer Riw Rakkulchon does an amazing job with Franklin’s creative laboratory. Adding a magic touch to the fixed setting are Carolina Ortiz Herrera (lights) and Daniela Hart, Bailey Trierweiler, Noel Nichols & Uptown Works (sound).
Noah Keyishian & Thomas Jay Ryan
Thomas Jay Ryan presents the genius’s boundless curiosity impeccably, adding a touch of XVIII-century mannerism, and an animated face that punctuates each sentence. Noah Keyishian, as William, is endearing as the victim of his father’s control and verbal abuse, hilarious in his delivery, but there is little change in the arc of his character throughout the 33 years depicted — he appears to be the same goofy young man at 20 and at 50 (late in the show, Mason Reeves makes an appearance as William’s son, Temple). Christopher Vergara‘s costume design is able to transmit the 1700s vibe and characters’ essence, although William may need more color and a couple of wigs to be more credible in his aging and standing. The last two scenes slow down the action because we leave science and enter political discourse — needed, yes, but a bit didactic in its form.
Noah Keyishian & Thomas Jay Ryan
Noah Keyishian, Mason Reeves & Thomas Jay Ryan
Overall, the play is delightful and definitely worth seeing. It should be a must-see for all middle schools and high schools; Benjamin Franklin was one of seventeen children — I doubt he had an attentive father — and he only had two years of proper schooling, but he never stopped learning to the day he died, a great inspiration for young and old. He said, “We will build a country composed of our own individual voices, one man one vote, free of kings and legacy … devoted to the ideals of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This quote should be on our lips every day until it truly happens.
Mason Reeves
photos by Jeremy Daniel
Franklinland
Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), 545 West 52nd Street
Mon, Wed-Fri at 7; Sat at 2 & 7; Sun at 5
75 minutes, no intermission
ends on November 3, 2024
for tickets ($20-$40), visit EST/NY
