2006-02-11-ben_franklin

By Cynthia Citron

VENTURA, Calif.—Josh Kornbluth looked in his shaving mirror one morning and had an epiphany.

“I look like Benjamin Franklin!” he said.

Now, if you or I had such a revelation we would probably just go on shaving (or, in my case, putting on makeup). Later, we would probably exchange our little round bifocals for a pair of hornrims. (Or, in my case, pussycat frames adorned with rhinestones).

But Josh Kornbluth, who is not short-sighted, even without his bifocals, seized upon this revelation and made of it a brilliant career move. He decided to become Benjamin Franklin in a unique and hilarious one-man show, “Ben Franklin Unplugged”.

Now, if you or I were writing a Benjamin Franklin show, we would probably do the kite thing, and the days in Philadelphia negotiating the Declaration of Independence, and maybe the years in Paris charming the ladies. And we would sprinkle it with pith from Poor Richard’s Almanac.

But Josh Kornbluth is not a traditionalist. He decides to become the Jewish Ben Franklin, part Franklin and part Kornbluth: a red diaper baby raised by a family of Communists and yentas. And he sprinkles his journey with Yiddishisms and wry.

But first he does some research. He begins with Franklin’s autobiography and discovers that it leaves more questions unanswered than it answers. It covers the Revolutionary War, for example, in one paragraph. And since there is no book called “Franklin for Dummies”, Kornbluth narrows his focus to Franklin’s ambivalent and unhappy relationship with his son William who, as the Royal Governor of New Jersey, remained loyal to the English King despite the revolutionary ardor of his Founding Father father.

Hot in the pursuit of his own personal Franklin, Kornbluth spends a night in the Yale Library reading their collection of Franklin Papers, concentrating on the letters between father and son. Meanwhile, his own Aunt Berty, a master manager and manipulator, has used her personal chutzpa to secure for him a series of “Benjamin Franklin spots” on MSNBC television. In full Franklin regalia, Kornbluth imagines Franklin reacting to the absurdities of the modern world. (Making a video for a dating service, he introduces himself as a “single white Founding Father”). And walking the streets of New York, he discovers that Franklin is still a relevant icon to New Yorkers, who are happy to approach him seeking wisdom.

“Ben Franklin Unplugged” is a biographical performance unlike any other. Kornbluth, a stand-up comic and PBS television host, never loses track of his own persona, his own history, and his own family roots. And yet, as Franklin, he makes a statement about this brilliant man’s personal anguish amid his triumphs. Kornbluth obviously adores this Founding Father and treats him always with dignity and respect. It is a riveting, hilarious, and thoroughly engaging performance from start to finish: surprising, schizophrenic, and satisfying.

“Ben Franklin Unplugged”, directed by David Dower, in celebration of Franklin’s 300th birthday, will continue to run Wednesdays through Sundays through March 5th at the newly refurbished Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 East Main Street, in Ventura.