There’s a wonderful goofiness to the production, directed by Tommy Rapley.
Franklin arrives in France as a true celebrity, his face on T-shirts and everything. Mesmer’s magical demonstrations include bathing the stage and audience in neon and black lights, with Mesmer at one point gliding around the stage on roller skates. Mesmer’s energy, exuded here through a hypnotic performance by Tony Carter, is matched by his stumbling assistant Charles , who always seems to be one page behind.
That’s not to take away from the lighting design, under lighting supervisor Hannah Wien. That black light, matched with the scenic design of Collette Pollard, turned marbled archways of a King’s palace or Franklin’s study into glowing cracks when Mesmer took the stage — symbolically illuminating the cracks Mesmer was putting in the foundation of the world around him.
Mesmer still provides some of the most engaging moments in the show, despite the show being mostly about the journey and story of Ben Franklin . Many of the moments involving Franklin and his niece Sarah can feel a bit like treading water, waiting for that clash between Mesmer’s magic and the rigorous examination by Franklin and Sarah utilizing the scientific method. For the most part, the individual performances from the entire cast are enough to keep you entertained.
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