Lantern Theater Company presents Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland

So it makes sense that Lantern Theater Company, as America 250 celebrations gear up, would produce a play that explores this titanic American figure. Even more so, it is fitting that the indomitable Frank X was cast to play the part in the Philadelphia premiere. Yet despite the often-inspired work of X and his castmates, Franklinland is a bit limp.

The son of a founding father

Sprawling four decades in six vignettes, Lloyd Suh’s play explores the relationship between Franklin (Frank X) and his illegitimate son, William (Dave Johnson). We learn about all of Franklin’s inventions and achievements throughout the show’s 80 minutes; we also learn that he wasn’t a great dad. Suh developed this play during the 2010s before its Chicago premiere in 2018, and the cultural impact of Hamilton is felt in the script's anachronistic dialogue: “Geez, Dad!” William complains. At times, this choice can make the characters feel relatable; at others, it can feel a bit cute.

In Frank X and Suh’s hands, Franklin is a bit of a blowhard. He is full of eye rolls, disappointments, and self-aggrandizement. He speaks of himself in the third person, directly conscious of his own greatness. In fact, it seems he is actively constructing his own historicized image while living. His son, William, by contrast, is hapless and naive. While X fully embodies Franklin’s larger-than-life grandeur, he doesn’t get much opportunity to change or develop. The tragedy of the play seems to be that Franklin is so unbendable, even at the cost of his relationship with his son. Johnson, on the other hand, gets to transform dramatically as William—from an awkward young adult to a man in rebellion against his father, to an older son wanting to finally connect. Johnson plays this arc off beautifully, and the actors' shared chemistry and timing are top-notch.

Would we care if it wasn’t Franklin?

Director Charles McMahon follows Suh’s lead. Unfortunately, this means the direction is often as muddled as the play. Some scenes seem awash in (factually dubious) historical anecdotes, while others bleed into downright slapstick. When the play is grounded in the relationship of a father and son, it does its best. However, there were times I asked myself: if this father was not Ben Franklin, would I care?

The physical production is also uneven. Scott Cassidy and Kate Coots’s set design effectively defines space and time, but feels sloppy as furniture is left waiting on the sides of the stage. Costume design by Marla Jurglanis is appropriately period and character-specific. Wig design was left uncredited, but the decision to put Frank X in locs to evoke Benjamin Franklin’s coiffure was inspired.

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