Jack Benny is coming to Waukegan to celebrate his 122nd birthday for three weekends.
Of course, Benny really is just 39. But no matter.
He’ll be onstage starting Friday when Clockwise Theatre brings back the one-man play, “Mr. Benny,” starring award-winning Chicago actor and director Tim Newell.
To raise funds and give residents another or a new chance to see the performance which was sold out last year, artistic director Bob Sanders asked Newell if he’d reprise his role. Luckily for the theatre, Newell had some down time in between performances at other Chicago area venues — and agreed. Plus, the 50-year-old actor loves portraying the iconic 20th-century comedian, who grew up in Waukegan and was born on Valentine’s Day.
In fact, the older Newell gets, the more he feels as if he’s taking on the mannerisms and persona of Benny, he said. Even when he was in high school, people used to tell him he acted and looked like Benny, he said.
“We’d cross our arms and put our hands to our face, do all the trademarks like Jack Benny,” Newell recalled.
Newell first performed “Mr. Benny” in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2001. His friend, Mark Humphrey, wrote the play with Newell in mind. Over the years, Newell has received praise for his spot-on performance of the miserly, curmudgeonly, so-so violinist, who was also likable and funny.
When Newell performed “Mr. Benny” at Clockwise last year, “It was far and away our biggest seller,” said Sanders, who’s directing the play. Newell earned an Artvoice Artie Award nomination for his role in “Mr. Benny,” and it has been produced in several venues over the years. To prepare for the role more than a decade ago, Newell watched videos of Benny and read books.
“I learned about him as a man — how incredibly generous he was despite the stingy penny-pinching character he portrayed,” Newell said. “He gave a lot to charity and he thought nothing of writing checks and donating to important causes.” He also entertained the troops during World War II.
“My favorite story about him is when he visited Waukegan and saw the old apartment building where he had lived.” He asked the people living in the apartment if he could come inside — they agreed and to thank them, he sent them new living room furniture. “He was an incredibly beautiful man and loved by so many people. Over 3,000 people attended his funeral in 1974.”
The two-act comedy begins with Benny in his Hollywood dressing room in 1950, the night of his first television broadcast. The TV show continued for 15 years. Act 2 begins in 1965 when the show was canceled in the midst of a new wave of TV comedies.
During the play, Benny reminisces about his childhood in Waukegan, the beginning of his show business career at Great Lakes Naval Base, vaudeville and the glory days of radio. He performs scenes imitating the voices of George Burns and other well-known personalities of Benny’s era. The production features a soundtrack of vintage radio and television shows.
More Top Picks Best Kids Mountain Bikes
Benny’s comedic style continues to be loved by new audiences and taught by acting professors, Newell said. In 2013, a professor at a college in New York used Jack Benny and his material as part of the curriculum, to discuss writing, comedy and character development, he said.
“Jack Benny played a character and he had all these characters around him. Every day was something different. It was a day in the life of Jack Benny, who was a radio star. Then along came ‘Seinfeld,’ and that’s exactly the same concept.”
Sanders agreed.
“What today’s audiences may not realize is that the comedy routines perfected by Benny, his on-the-air nemesis Fred Allen, and his rep company of radio stars … served as the basis for such shows as ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother.'”
Sanders said he’s excited about the return of “Mr. Benny” on his birthday.
“It’s a perfect celebration of the great Jack Benny,” he said, and during some of the shows, birthday cake will be served.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
‘Mr. Benny’
When: Feb 12-28
Where: Clockwise Theatre, 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $15-$25
Information: 847-775-1500; www.clockwisetheatre.org