Do not miss Josh Kornbluth's Red Diaper Trilogy! Kornbluth writes with wit, delivers with gusto. His monologues demand your constant attention. The delivery moves from rapid fire to deliberate, well-placed pauses that allow the audience time to absorb this huge talent's output. The trilogy includes Red Diaper Baby, The Mathematics of Change and Ben Franklin: Unplugged. Red Diaper Baby is a coming-of-age tale of Josh's experiences growing up as a child of Communist parents in New York City. The Mathematics of Change tells Josh's tale of "hitting the wall" in calculus at Princeton. Ben Franklin: Unplugged brings to the audience a special relationship between Josh and one of the founders of freedom.
Ben Franklin: Unplugged is part autobiography, part history lesson, and part mystery. Kornbluth makes the mundane funny, the unexpected hilarious. His timing is perfection as he switches from himself to many other characters. His interpretation of his mother and aunt are a delight. Kornbluth is a consummate actor, bringing to each character a defining physicality.
In this section of the trilogy, we also get an excellent history lesson. There is so much we don't know about Franklin. Kornbluth teaches even as he draws laughs from the audience. The details on William, Franklin's out-of-wedlock son, is not only a bit of history, it reveals much about their relationship during a very difficult period for the colonies. Joshua Raoul Brody designed some unique sound effects and music for this section, which adds punch to the presentation. Also effective are Laura Hazlett's costumes, especially in the second- act period piece.
Josh Kornbluth is an actor/comedian who should definitely be on your "must-see" list during his short stay in San Diego.
Opened:
September 19, 2002
Ended:
October 17, 2002
Country:
USA
State:
California
City:
San Diego
Company/Producers:
Sledgehammer Theater
Theater Type:
Regional
Theater:
Saint Cecilla's Playhouse
Theater Address:
1620 Sixth Avenue (at Cedar)
Phone:
(619) 544-1484
Running Time:
2 hrs
Genre:
Solo Comedy
Director:
David Dower
Review:
Cast:
Josh Kornbluth
Technical:
Music & Sound: Joshua Raoul Brody; Lighting: Jennifer Setlow; Stage Manager: Lindsay L. Byrne; Costumes: Laura Hazlett
Critic:
Robert Hitchcox
Date Reviewed:
September 2002
