Karen Sunce

This play is set in pre-revolutionary France, as diplomats no longer in favor join with scientists and scholars in a salon along with Benjamin Franklin. The subject quickly turns to the American Revolution, then over only a year, and the characters in the play assume the roles of key players to act out parts of Franklin's life in pantomime. Specifically, the pantomimes relate to Franklin's relationship with his son, exiled in England and penniless because he had been a Loyalist. Other players attempt to reach some resolution that will enable Franklin to forgive his son; the resolution is ambiguous. In general, a well-written play, but bearing marks of a bygone era in writing style - longish speeches, no fear of using long words, which is probably essential anyway if you're writing Benjamin Franklin as a character surrounded by other intellectuals. This was not a crowd that would pander to a generation with a stunted attention span from too many hours of watching TV, and the author wasn't afraid to let them use their vocabulary. It also shows, thanks to the transitional forms in the play, the evolution of the play from the era of Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill to the era of Honey BooBoo and Sex and the City. An interesting, somewhat quirky work.… (meer)