Review: A Forgotten Show Shines Again in BEN FRANKLIN IN PARIS at 54 Below

On Sunday September 13 at 7 pm, 54 Below was filled to the brim with fans of forgotten musical theater, celebrating a rare concert revival of Ben Franklin in Paris. This was the first time the show was presented on a New York stage since its original Broadway production in the 1964-65 season. The evening was produced, conceived, directed, and hosted by Tony Award nominee Walter Willison (Grand Hotel). Willison has produced several of evenings at 54 paying homage to Broadway gems from the 1960s – most recently with last year’s High Spirits – with top-notch vocal talent, allowing the works to breathe again. Ben Franklin in Paris was a fitting choice for America’s 250th anniversary this year. In a clever edit, Willison took a part of the script with Franklin opining about what Americans will think of their freedom 200 years in the future, whether they’ll still value the sacrifices that the Founding Fathers made, and changes it to 250 years, making the work feel of the moment.

As someone who grew up on City Center’s Encores series, I really appreciate what people like Willison are doing to keep truly obscure Golden Age Broadway works and do something akin to what Encores used to do in the 90s to 00s, reconstructing older shows that had no real commercial viability. I understand that Encores perhaps can’t afford to do that anymore at the scale it would take to fill City Center, but I’m grateful that 54 Below offers a space for it.

Ben Franklin in Paris is about Ben Franklin’s time abroad during the revolutionary war, trying to get France to recognize America as an independent country, using strategy, diplomacy and seduction to get his objective. It's impressive how fully realized this was for a concert reading. They made good use of 54 Below’s entire space, with immersive staging. Ann Kittredge brought full life to Franklin’s love interest, Lady Diane. Willison stepped into the show’s most challenging role, tackling the part of Ben Franklin, originated by the legendary Robert Preston. The full cast included Keith Crowningshield, Timothy Jerome, Keaton Miller, Zoë Parrish, Ron Spivak, Melinda Hopkins and Sheila Wormer. Miller and Parrish played Franklin’s grandson and his love interest, respectively. The rest of the talented ensemble doubled up on some roles as needed. They sang through the score, with a few excerpts of scenes presented, elevating the concert beyond a simple run-through of the songs and giving it the feel of something closer to a staged reading. The singers were mostly off book for the songs, connecting fully with the audience. The few bumps – like Kittredge missing her cue to join the cast onstage for bows at the finale – were handled with grace and humor. Music Director James Woods provided accompaniment for the evening on piano and setting the scene at the beginning of the night with the show’s overture.

The charming concert made the case for another look at this too-obscure show. It featured a book and lyrics by Sidney Michaels and music by Mark Sandrich, Jr., with two additional songs contributed by Jerry Herman (Hello Dolly, La Cage). The show is mostly historically accurate, based on an amalgamation of Franklin’s own writing. “God Bless The Human Elbow” paraphrases a letter he wrote citing that the anatomy of our arms is proof that mankind was designed to drink alcohol. “Half the Battle” and “To Be Alone with You” (music and lyrics by Herman) deserve a life outside of the show.

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