”
Off goes the hair, on comes the air!
”
Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves. Whistle and
dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.
– Diogenes (404-323 B.C.E.)
“Off goes the hair, on comes the air!”
Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves. Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience. – Diogenes (404-323 B.C.E.)
Though much of the writing in the Declaration of Independence is Thomas Jefferson’s, much of the contribution is Benjamin Franklin’s. Our nation’s ideas of independence owe much to the man who invented both swim fins and bifocals.
While variations of many of his aphorisms have become part of our culture (“Haste makes waste,” “A penny saved is a penny earned”), some of his lesser known advice is just as wise, such as “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards,” “Love your neighbor; yet don’t pull down your hedge,” and “Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.”
Franklin was famous for his observations and inventions and for creating and printing in his own newspaper (the Pennsylvania Gazette) the first political cartoon ever published in the Colonies (May 10, 1754). “The greatest monarch on the proudest throne, is oblig’d to sit upon his own arse,” Franklin said as he worked on the committee of five that helped to draft the Declaration of our Independence in 1776.
Part of this story of how our nation came to be is portrayed in the 1969 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, “1776,” which is coming Sept. 15 to the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse for a four-week run.
The South Valley Civic Theatre troupe of actors has spent many weekends building a set that transforms the Playhouse into what is known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Liberty Bell first rang out so loud and clear that the sound reached the shores of England.
Written by a history teacher, “1776” is lively, comical, and very musical. Each voice in the show seems stronger than the last as the debate rages in the Second Continental Congress over whether all 13 colonies should indeed adopt the resolution on independence. If only more history classes were this entertaining!
When local thespian Charles Krahenbuhl found out he would be reprising the role of Franklin, whom he first portrayed in the 1976 production of “1776,” he also knew that Rev. Alison Berry of Gilroy’s United Methodist Church was in need of a new furnace before winter. Since he would be required to shave his beard for the role of Benjamin Franklin, why not kill two birds with one stone by making his beard-shearing into a fund-raiser for the much-needed furnace?
The fundraiser fits perfectly with the interests of Franklin when you consider that he was also the inventor of the first heat-efficient iron furnace stove (called the Franklin), which warmed homes less dangerously and with less wood than the conventional fireplaces used for heating at the time. Because he had invented the stove to help improve society, he refused to take out a patent on his design.
On Sunday, Aug. 27, a crowd gathered to watch 30 years worth of Charles Krahenbuhl’s beard fall to the floor. Pledges in the furnace drive so far have reached $800, with more still coming in. “Off goes the hair, on comes the air!” Mrs. Krahenbuhl quipped.
Come spend an evening in song and dance with our nation’s founders as you’ve never seen them! Show dates are Sept. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, and Oct. 6 and 7, all at 8pm. There are also two Saturday matinees, Sept. 23 and 30, at 2pm. Prices are $15, with students and seniors admitted for $12. For more information, visit www.svct.org, or call (408) 683-2817.
There will be a preview of “1776” Sept. 14 in Gilroy at the United Methodist Church on 7600 Church St. It will be performed by the Honorable Benjamin Franklin and Honorable John Adams at 1pm. Four tickets to the production in Morgan Hill will be given away at the preview, and tickets will also be available for advance purchase. For further information, call Eunice Coates (408) 779-3003 or Jan Paterson (408) 842-3737.
