In the eyes of Randall Lane, one of the creators of the new musical “The Sound of America,” Benjamin Franklin was more than a founding father. The famous Philadephian lived the life of a rock star, Lane said, from running away as a teenage fugitive to engaging in a common law marriage to forming a “band of brothers” in his social club.
“He was the first American to be world famous, and he toured the world as such,” Lane said. “So, this is an accurate retelling of Ben Franklin’s life through the prism of rock ‘n’ roll, and it’s an accurate telling of the future of rock ‘n’ roll through Ben Franklin’s life.”
MORE: Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross get bobbleheads for America’s 250th birthday
Franklin’s life as a famous inventor, his extramarital affairs, illegitimate child and his work as the “lyricist for the American colonial experience” through “Poor Richard’s Almanack” was the inspiration for a new rock musical. Lane and Todd Schwartz created “The Sound of America,” playing at FringeArts through Aug. 1, to reimagine Franklin as a rock star seeking musical prowess.
In the show, Franklin’s Leather Apron Club, his social group, is reimagined as a garage band that eventually makes it big, and his unofficial marriage to Deborah Read is likened to that of Sonny and Cher. His relationship to a British nobleman, Lord Alexander Wedderburn, becomes a metal vs. classic rock rivalry complete with efforts to break up the band, and the American Revolution is depicted through a battle of the bands. The show’s 23 songs are played with a live band onstage, making it feel more concert than traditional musical.
Though some of Franklin’s story has been fictionalized, the show pulls a lot from his real life — such as how Franklin invented an early version of the harmonica.
“As we got into the writing process and really dug in, you just see all the parallels and the notes kept playing, and Ben’s story basically helped us write it,” Lane said. “He was a co-writer in some ways through his life.”
Lane and Schwartz spent about two years working on the show, with some help from Ari Edelson, founder of the Orchard Project, which helps accelerate theater projects, and Rosalind Remer, a curator at the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, also signed onto the project. A portion of the show’s royalties is going to his charity, Teen Cancer America.
The musical loosely concludes around the American Revolution, which ended a few years before Franklin’s death. But most of it takes place during Franklin’s earlier years, which Lane said often are overshadowed by his role in the country’s founding. Lane said he hopes the show portrays Franklin’s life in a well-rounded way.
“Ben did most of his great work as a young man, kind of in his rock star days,” Lane said. “Listen, he was vital all the way through, but this shows Ben Franklin throughout his life, including the most important years.”
General admission tickets to “The Sound of America” cost $60 each. Following each performance, attendees can join a 45-minute walking tour through Old City led by Remer and Kohl Pilgrim, who plays Franklin in the musical.
