Ben Soars in 'Go Fly a Kite'

JTL Productions' Acting Out Series scores again with "Go Fly a Kite: The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin." Starring venerated IE actor Mel Chadwick, the one-man play is the first comedic outing of the edutainment series.

In Mel's words, a one man play is a "daunting task" — even when it's the shortest play in the series at an hour and change. Having no one to cue you, no interchanges with other characters. Only you, the audience, and a few notes when the going gets fuzzy. He tackles the task with panache and affability. Just the way you imagine the real Ben would be, were you aware that he was the proud antithesis of a stuffy-shirted politician — incessantly donning a beaverskin hat, especially when it was socially "impolite."

A short running-time doesn't hinder the narrative's effectiveness. Writer/director Lynd's smart, light-hearted text plays well, outlining the famous often-mistaken-for-a-president American statesman's life, starting en media res with a septuagenarian Ben's trip to England, where he was berated for supporting the colonies' attempts to burgeon into a nation. "I arrived a Briton; I left an American," Ben says proudly.

Among the most entertaining bits were Ben's recitations of his all-time greatest quotes; turns so lucid, so succinct that they've become cliched in the American vernacular. "Honesty is the best policy," "Guests, like fish, smell after three days," and "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead," to name a few.

Prop design was the production's only noticeable shortcoming. Ben's scepter-like walking stick was cool; however, the minimalist set, would've benefited from a more authentic looking thirteen-starred flag. Given it was de facto centerpiece, wouldn't dyed canvas (or historically accurate hemp cloth) lent much more credibility to the production that shimmering vinyl?

I had the pleasure of seeing the touring company's production at the independent-artist-friendly Black Swan Theatre, Murrieta's newly minted black box theater (the only in the IE). Formerly an industrial office space, the Black Swan now sports an 80-seat proscenium and two dance spaces, walls adorned with for-sale pieces by local artists.

For more information on the "Acting Out" series, visit jtlproductions.net.
For the Black Swan Theatre, go to blackswantheatre.com.

LA theater reviews by LA Theater Critic.