Ball State University - Orient Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

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Why not? Henry Fonda is Clarence Darrow, James Whitmore is Harry S. Truman, Hal Holbrook is Mark Twain, so Fredd Wayne is Benjamin Franklin. In visionary enlightenment and patriot splendor, in celebration of the bicentennial, that whimsical, funny, inventor-journalist-statesman-musician-philosopher and more, Benjamin Franklin made his debut on the Ball State University campus at Emens Auditorium to tell us ofthe latest news of the revolution, of women, of education and religion, the Constitution and The Stamp Act-of course, in the guise of impresario virtuoso, Fredd Wayne. OK. One-man acts are one good reason not to see one perfonner one night juggler, dance, read...need I go on? I had better. This man Fredd Wayne, who spends two hours in make-up to look like an individual who lived more than 160 years ago, who carries in his theatrical productions 580,000 worth of props relative to the 18th century, is not only a different one-man show entirely, he's indescribably a genius at it. The actor has appeared in 300-400 television shows, played leading roles on Broadway productions and starred in films and opera. You should have marked your calendar for the 17th of September, because that's the night when all these incredible theatrics took place. On stage, Wayne brought Benjamin Franklin to the audience, the man who postulated Socrates died of an overdose of wedlock and a friend in need is a pest. You know how it is with us impulsive achievers, the Franklin character said, just terrible! It couldn't have been too bad. The show revealed some of the long lines of Franklin inventions and discoveries, everything from swimming fins to crop insurance and bi- focal glasses, the first fire department and the charting of the Gulf Stream. The very heart of colonial America, as it must have been reminiscently passed by on stage as Franklin anecdotes reflected the life and the times of our country's early history. And more personally, the inner world of one Ben Franklin, of his wife Deborah and of his four children, came to life so real-like that the past became the present and the audience got caught up in the early spirits of America. Wayne researched his role beginning in 1964, two years before his one-act show opened for the first time in Los Angeles. Futhermore, his make-up artist is the same John Chambers who won an Academy Award for his work in The Planet of the Apes. Yale University Professor Leonard Larabee and his book The Papers of Benjamin Franklin was the suggested material Mr. Wayne conceived his production by. Fredd Wayne as Benjamin Franklin, Citizen. Why not indeed. Hand gestures, vocal emphasis and slow, graceful movements characterized the great philosopher, as portrayed by impresario virtuoso Fredd Wayne. Wayne lr presentation included many witty lines plus great words of wisdom. Surrounded by over 380,000 of theatrical production props, Fredd Wayne sets the ideal mood for his presentation of 'Ben Franklin, Citizen to an appreciative audience. Wayne began his Franklin role in 1966 in Los Angeles. With his bifocals slipping down his long, boney nose, Benjamin Franklin. portrayed by Fredd Wayne, makes a point about politics back in the early days of our nationls history.

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