Curious Theatre Company’s regional premiere of Lloyd Suh’s play is a smartly written and strongly produced comedy
The idea of revisiting America’s founding and the story of Ben Franklin didn’t sound super revolutionary to me. Yet, Franklinland– written by Lloyd Suh, who also authored The Chinese Lady, which played at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts earlier this year – is a unique and unexpected retelling of the birth of the nation through the lens of a dysfunctional father-son relationship.
About Franklinland
Franklinland is a hilarious historical comedy about the relationship between the highly intelligent yet incredibly domineering Ben Franklin (Erik Sandvold) and his son William (Kenny Fedorko). Ben’s plans to start a newly independent nation are complicated when King George III appoints William as Royal Governor of New Jersey. This change in status and power further strains the pair’s already tenuous relationship. Ben wants his son to help him build Franklinland, a place where they’ll be free to create scientific experiments together forever, but William has other obligations now. As the Revolutionary War rages on the battlefield, Ben and William argue about life, liberty and the pursuit of their own sense of happiness.
The play is directed by Curious Theatre Company co-founder Dee Covington. Like Suh’s previous play, The Chinese Lady, this is another dialogue-heavy piece. In the hands of a less skilled director, the play’s massive amount of text and extensive historical references might have slowed the performance. But Covington manages to keep the play moving at a breakneck pace, which is appropriate given the high-stakes nature of the war and father-son drama. The fast-paced nature of the show highlights the wordplay and recurring jokes that Suh expertly works into the script.
Strong technical elements
Markas Henry’s scenic design complements the play well. He creates a two-wall shell of a barn decked out with multiple doors, entrance points and places to hang things. The set is simple enough to suggest multiple locations, from a barn to a boat to the governor’s mansion. Though sparsely decorated, the space still feels remarkably warm and lived in; the sides of the stage are packed with an abundance of props designed by Annette Westerby, like powdered wigs, ropes, barrels, bottles and Ben’s invention table.
Henry works with lighting designer Vance McKenzie so that light beautifully shines through the cracks in the set’s wall toward the audience. McKenzie’s work throughout is striking. While it would have been easy to stick with a red, white and blue design for the show, McKenzie’s choice of a blue, purple and yellow/orange color palette is an inspired choice, and his work is well integrated throughout the piece. The show begins with a subtle rumbling sound, provided by sound designer Brian Freeland, that signals that something is just on the brink of happening but hasn’t quite started yet.
The play begins with a scene between Ben and William about to attach the key to the famous kite to see if they can find electricity. Ben instructs his son that “what we can imagine, we can invent.” Sandvold’s performance is delightfully playful and blisteringly arrogant in all the right ways. He portrays Ben as a bit of an egomaniac. At first, Sandvold commands his son to do as he pleases as he walks around the stage with a proud demeanor. He then skillfully ages the character over time, showing him become humbled by failures, setbacks, and illness.
The performance I attended was truly an ode to the hard work of understudies in the theatre. When Covington welcomed us to the show, she informed us that, due to extenuating circumstances, one of the actors was still out and that Ben Hilzer was to fill in for the role of William Franklin. Hilzer confidently assumed the role, and the performance was able to go off without a hitch thanks to the team’s flexibility. Even though he had a book in his hand, he was able to jump into the wacky world of the American Revolution confidently. This is no easy feat; Hilzer’s confidence and adaptability should be applauded and celebrated till the end of time (or, at least, the end of this show’s run).
The play’s transitions are set to music that blends modern and classical music while the stage manager and third actor, Danté Finley, dance and assist with the scene and costume changes. I see how these moments were designed to feel out of time and are building toward a (slight spoiler) contemporary moment with Finely at the end of the show. Yet, these transitional moments were occasionally a little long and not always super connected to the rest of the play’s world.
Flawed history
As things get more serious in the second half of the play, the ideas Suh’s script grapples with prove even more moving than its comedy. We watch Ben go on to help found America, claiming it will be Franklinland and “the greatest invention of my life.” However, in service of this higher cause, he has made a tremendous mess of his personal life and relationship with his son.
Even though Ben wanted his son to develop his own ideas about the world, he demanded such servitude and utter compliance from his son that he never allowed William to grow into his own person. It’s not until his grandson comes along that Ben has finally matured enough to realize he needs to give others space to be themselves and make their own choices.
Franklin senior is one of the many flawed humans who helped create America. The play challenges audiences to think about what other contradictions have been baked into the founding of our country and asks how we continue to move forward when so much emphasis is placed on the greatness of our country’s past.
Like Ben and William, the further along America goes, the more divided we seem to get. The play’s optimistic ending speaks to the ideals of the country’s founding and dares us to remember that what we can imagine, we can invent. Though the characters end the play separated, they make plans to reconnect, and you honestly believe they will.
Curious Theatre Company’s production of Franklinland makes the compelling argument that the most revolutionary act one can do is to be vulnerable and remain open to change.
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