Ben Franklin in Paris

Ben Franklin in Paris.

Ben Franklin in Paris is a stage musical.

Cast

• Robert Preston - Benjamin Franklin
• Franklin Kiser - Temple Franklin
• Jerry Schaefer - Benjamin "Benny" Franklin Bache
• Ulla Sallert - Madame La Comtesse Diane de Vobrillac
• Bob Kaliban - Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais
• Jack Fletcher - Pedro Count de Aranda
• Susan Watson - Janine Nicolet
• Sam Greene - Captain Wickes

Plot

The story is a somewhat fictionalized account of Benjamin Franklin's adventures in the French capital. Seeking support for the Colonies' war against England, he arrives in Paris, where he enlists the aid of an old friend, Madame la Comtesse Diane de Vobrillac, a confidante to King Louis XVI. Franklin's hopes of winning the king's support seem dashed when British forces capture Philadelphia but rally when the Colonists are victorious at Saratoga. At home, his son William, the governor of New Jersey, sides with the enemy, and the traitorous act upsets the elder Franklin's plans. To regain the upper hand, he offers to marry Diane, but she rejects him. Knowing he faces death by hanging, Franklin nevertheless decides to go to England, hoping his act of martyrdom will win him posthumous support. Diane learns of the plan and intercedes with the King, who eventually welcomes Franklin in his new position of the Ambassador of the United States of America to France.

Musical numbers

Act I

• "We Sail the Seas" - American Sailors
• "I Invented Myself" - Ben and Company
• "Too Charming" - Ben and Diane
• "Whatever Became of Old Temple?" - Temple
• "Half the Battle" - Ben, Benny, Temple and Beaumarchais
• "A Balloon Is Ascending" - Company
• "To Be Alone With You" - Ben, Diane and Company
• "You're in Paris" - Janine, Temple and Company
• "How Laughable It Is" - Diane
• "Hic Haec Hoc" - Monks
• "God Bless the Human Elbow" - Ben, Pedro, Beaumarchais and Monks

Act II

• "When I Dance with the Person I Love" - Janine
• "Diane Is" - Ben
• "Look for Small Pleasures" - Ben and Diane
• "I Love the Ladies" - Ben, Captain Wickes, Beaumarchais, Temple and Sailors
• "To Be Alone With You" (Reprise) - Ben