Ben Franklin in Paris

“Half the Battle is learning to smile”, and audiences are sure to be smiling when 54 Below presents Ben Franklin In Paris: A Revolutionary Musical in Concert Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of America’s Independence, marking the first time this historic musical will be presented on a New York stage since the original 1964-65 Broadway production. What better way to celebrate the 2026 semiquincentennial of the birth of our nation than with “The First American,” Benjamin Franklin? It’s 1776, the colonies are in peril of losing the Revolutionary War, and America’s First Diplomat is dispatched to Paris to convince King Louis VI to enter into a military alliance with the colonies. In this fanciful retelling of that historic journey, Ben and his grandson, Temple, find adventure, romance, intrigue, spies, and songs of inspiration (“Half the Battle”), wit (“I Invented Myself,” “God Bless the Human Elbow”), wisdom (“Look for Small Pleasures”), and love (“To Be Alone With You”), with lyrics by Sidney Michaels and music by Mark Sandrich, Jr., with additional songs by Jerry Herman.