Theater News

Philadelphia Kids Spotlight: January ’06

The most famous Philadelphian of all time has been getting the royal treatment this winter as seemingly the entire city is celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday. Not one to miss out on the festivities, the Philadelphia Theatre Company is hosting Josh Kornbluth’s solo play Ben Franklin: Unplugged. Structured as a detective story of sorts, the show focuses on the troubled relationship between Franklin and his son (a royalist who opposed the American Revolution) as well as Kornbluth’s difficulties with his own eccentric father. Kornbluth (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Franklin) was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his autobiographical play Red Diaper Baby, which was also an exploration of father-son relationships. The play isn’t for small children, but Unplugged provides a perspective on Franklin that older kids won’t discover in history books (January 10-21).

The most famous Philadelphian of all time has been getting the royal treatment this winter as seemingly the entire city is celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday. Not one to miss out on the festivities, the Philadelphia Theatre Company is hosting Josh Kornbluth’s solo play Ben Franklin: Unplugged. Structured as a detective story of sorts, the show focuses on the troubled relationship between Franklin and his son (a royalist who opposed the American Revolution) as well as Kornbluth’s difficulties with his own eccentric father. Kornbluth (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Franklin) was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his autobiographical play Red Diaper Baby, which was also an exploration of father-son relationships. The play isn’t for small children, but Unplugged provides a perspective on Franklin that older kids won’t discover in history books (January 10-21).