Love Philly? So do we. Let’s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today.
By profession, Randall Lane carries an impressive title – editor-in-chief of Forbes, the nation’s leading business magazine.
But by personality, a better title might be admirer-in-chief – with many of his many admirations coalescing in the rock musical he co-wrote with high-school classmate Todd Schwartz. Staged at the Fringe Arts building under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, “The Sound of America,” (through Aug. 1) imagines our man Ben as a rock star.
“I think the show is a love letter to Philadelphia, a love letter to Ben Franklin, and a love-letter to rock and roll,” Lane said.
Let’s start with Ben.
“Ben Franklin was a rock star,” said Lane, listing just some of Franklin’s many accomplishments – the first library, the first fire company, the University of Pennsylvania, the fact that he mapped the Gulf Stream, invented bifocals and explained the workings of electricity, while also creating an early version of the harmonica.
“He was one of the top five brilliant Americans even to this day, but he was a flawed man. He had an out-of-wedlock kid, he was a poor husband to say the least,” said Lane. “He was a complicated American – and that’s what makes it real. The flaws just make him human.”
And, Lane said admiringly, Ben had all the attributes of a rock star.
“He literally became the most famous American in the world with fans and groupies. He lived the full rock-star life. He was brilliant. He had fans. He had groupies, he had an ego.”
Which leads us to another of Lane’s admirations: rock and roll.
“It’s the ultimate American form” of music, amplifying the American character, Lane said. “It’s rebellious. It’s creative. It’s original. It’s nonconformist — loud and proud. It’s brash. It’s confident.
“I love it. I’m a child of the 80s. That was our genre. I probably go to 20 rock shows a year. I’m trying to see every rock band before they stop playing,” he said. “The Who is our favorite.”
Sir Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, returns the compliment. “If I were ever asked for a sound that captures America, my answer would have to be: ‘The Sound of America is rock n’ roll, and this musical brings it to life,’” said Daltrey in a statement.
Daltrey serves as Royal Governor in the play, making a remote cameo in the role. All production royalties benefit Daltrey’s cause, Teen Cancer America, a partner of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Daltrey will perform at the Xcite Center at Parx Casino in Bensalem on Sept. 25 for his A Great Night Out show, already sold out.
Lane also admires Philadelphia. He graduated from Penn with a major in history. He and Schwartz drew on theatrical talent from the region to direct, star, and create effects for “The Sound of America.” Kyle Metzger directs and Kohl Pilgrim plays Ben Franklin. Lane lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, which, he points out, is where the Philadelphia Orchestra summers.
Where it all intersects for Lane is Ben’s commitment to Philadelphia. “It is a reminder of the importance of where you are,” Lane said. “Franklin wasn’t just about making the world better, but also making his hometown better.”
“The Sound of America” tracks Ben as a young man, fleeing from Boston to Philadelphia with three loaves of bread and a bright spirit. Soon he and his crew, the Junto Club, are meeting weekly to discuss big ideas.
“It was his band,” Lane said. In the play, the Junto crew are a rock and roll band, the Leather Apron Club. Luckily for them, Ben unlocks the power of electric rock and roll. It makes him an international sensation and puts him at risk of losing the people who grounded him. (Yes, don’t miss that pun from the show’s publicists!)
“The Sound of America” includes 23 original songs with words by Lane and music by Schwartz, whom Lane also admires. In high school, Schwartz had a band called Gravy and even then, Lane was a fan. Both men went on to be successful in business, Lane at Forbes and Schwartz in real estate as the northeast regional president of Cushman & Wakefield’s New York and Latin American businesses.
For fun, they collaborate.
In another Philadelphia connection, the two came up with the theme song for the Philadelphia Stallions, a team of racehorses who are part of the National Thoroughbred League. (Lane co-founded the League and Julius “Dr. J” Erving is co-owner of the Stallions.)
Post-show, Pilgrim leads a 45-minute walking tour from the Fringe building at Race and Columbus Blvd. “It’s a singing tour with a vibrant, young Ben Franklin, vibrant young – not the paunchy old Ben Franklin,” Lane said. The tour, of important places in Franklin’s life, is included in the price of the ticket. The Fringe is also offering themed brunches and beers with some shows.
Producers include Rosalind Remer, Drexel University’s senior vice provost for libraries, collections and archives – a position which includes overseeing Drexel’s stewardship of the Atwater Kent museum, (formerly the Philadelphia History Museum). She also led the Benjamin Franklin Tercentuary, a celebration of his accomplishments 300 years after his birth in 1706 organized by Franklin & Marshall College. Also named as producers are former Eagles linebacker and sports commentator Seth Joyner, Matthew Decker, a local director and co-founder of Theatre Horizon, and advertising and public relations executive Brian Tierney, among others.
FYI
“The Sound of America”, through Aug. 1, at the FringeArts building. Tickets available through FringeArts, 215-413-1318. Grab food and drinks at the restaurant/bar, with happy hour specialties on Thursdays and Fridays and brunch on the weekends.
