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Veteran stage and television
actor Eddie Carroll's one-man
show..."JACK BENNY/LAUGHTER
IN BLOOM",
goes beyond mere
imitation of Benny's familiar
catch phrases and mannerisms.
It's a captivating evening of
theater that has Jack Benny
himself
leading us on a fascinating tour
of his rich and colorful life
and
illustrious career that spanned
six decades...from vaudeville to
films,
from the Broadway Stage to radio
and television, to concerts
and
personal
appearances.
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| Carroll,
who researched and
penned the show himself,
spent months preparing |
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for the role and perfecting
every facet and nuance
of Benny's persona...
from his walk, body
language and gestures,
to his voice, timing
and
delivery.
"I didn't
want to just imitate
Benny or do an
impression",
says Carroll.
"An
impression is basically
a caricature with
overly
exaggerated vocal traits
and gestures.
My goal as an
actor was to
re-create Benny's
honest reality and the
true humanity of
the man."
As
a result, Carroll's
performance is no
stand-up comedy
act
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or routine, but an award
winning,
Broadway-quality
theatrical
presentation that is in
the same class as Hal
Hollbrook's
"Mark Twain",
James Whitmore's
"Will Rogers", Robert
Morse's "Tru",
and Frank Gorshin's
current production of
"Say Goodnight Gracie".
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As one critic
wrote..."Carroll
doesn't just do Benny...
He IS BENNY".
Before your eyes
he truly becomes the
beloved comedian,
capturing his endearing
nature, dwelling
in his spirit, as well
as his shadow."
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The show opens with a short
film of some of Benny's
funniest
TV
moments and ends with a
freeze-frame of Benny in
his typical pose.
As the
image slowly fades to
the strains of
"Love In
Bloom", Carroll is
illuminated on stage
left, in the same pose
we have just seen on the
screen.
By the time
Carroll takes center
stage, the audience has
made the transition that
Jack Benny is truly
there in person. For the next hour and forty minutes, the audience is
transported on a
nostalgic journey as
they learn of Benny's
childhood as Benjamin
Kubelsky growing up in
Waukegan, IL...his
personal struggles and
failures, and eventual
success in Vaudeville
and meteoric rise in
radio and television.
He also shares
insights into his
personal life and
hilarious anecdotes of
cast-mates and other
stars that fill the
theater with heart,
warmth, great memories
and wall-to-wall
laughter.
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| Carroll,
(who's diverse career
spans four decades in
the theater, a
television series,
countless TV shows and
the voice of Jiminy
Cricket since 1973) has
been performing
"Jack Benny /
Laughter In Bloom"
for more than a decade
and continues to draw
sell-out performances
where ever it plays. As Carroll says, "Nothing has given me as much pleasure
as doing this show.
I feel privileged
to carry on Benny's
legacy with respect and
dignity and to continue
keeping his image
alive." |
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Jack Benny was more than a show
business legend.
He became an
American Institution and
enjoyed more audience
identification than any
other entertainer.
Even today his
classic trademarks are
still recognized and
known to millions.
With his
incomparable approach to
comedy, no one could
steal his material or
copy his style or
timing.
He was a class
act who stood alone and
was respected and
revered by his peers.
In a recent poll,
he was voted as
America's most loved
comedian and one of the
top five entertainers of
all time.
When a man can leave as much of
himself as Jack left us,
then he can never truly
be gone.
He simply becomes...
Immortal. |
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