'Mr. Benny' highlights life of Waukegan native

Waukegan's hometown boy is coming home.

"Mr. Benny," a one-man show chronicling the life and times of comedian and former Waukegan resident Jack Benny, starts Thursday, Jan. 29, at Clockwise Theatre.

The show, performed to wide acclaim on the East Coast, is tailor made for Lake County. Directed by Bob Sanders, who grew up in Lake Forest, it stars actor Tim Newell and dramatizes Benny's life, from his roots in vaudeville to radio, movies and TV.

"It's an awful lot of fun to play this extraordinary man that touched so many people, and who survived as long as he did in the ever-changing face of entertainment," Newell says. "He was always a champion from one medium to the next. He was truly a pioneer."

Benny was a comedian, radio personality and actor known for his comedic timing and ability to draw laughs through gestures and facial expressions.

Benny's radio and TV programs, popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, had a major influence on the sitcom genre. He also was an innovator of standup comedy and appeared in 22 films.

Despite an on-air persona of being stingy, the real Benny was anything but, Newell says. Benny raised an estimated $6 million during his lifetime in support of various causes, including help for his hometown, according to the Waukegan Historical Society. And in 1974, Benny earned the March of Dimes Humanitarian Award.

"In real life, he was an extraordinarily generous man," Newell says.

Benny's legacy can be seen throughout Waukegan. A middle school is named after him. The Music Center of Lake County was renamed the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. The city also dedicated a statue in his honor in Benny Plaza.

Newell, who lives in Buffalo, New York, says channeling Benny has been an honor. "I didn't know Jack Benny, but I've really come to love the man," he says.

Capturing the star's physical traits and gestures wasn't difficult, but Newell says impersonating his voice was a harder task. "He had a lovely, throaty baritone sound that often times I'm able to capture, but that's the biggest challenge," he says. "Delivery is one thing, but the overall sound is another."

Response to the show, particularly in Waukegan, has been terrific so far, he says. "They're very proud of their hometown boy," Newell says. "It's been pretty extraordinary. They're ready to see the show, and I'm very excited."