He faces his Founding Father complex

For monologist Josh Kornbluth, looks turned out to be everything. It was the sudden serendipitous recognition of his physical resemblance to the most eccentric Founding Father that launched the balding, bespectacled Kornbluth on the semiautobiographical odyssey he recounts in “Ben Franklin: Unplugged” at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre.

That his similarity to Franklin took Kornbluth by surprise is typical. A big part of the performer and PBS interview host’s appeal lies in the way his inventive connections beneath the surface of things is matched by his near-dysfunctional cluelessness with respect to the obvious and the mundane.

In the tradition of Woody Allen, Spalding Gray and Albert Brooks, Kornbluth parlays his neuroses into hilariously quirky, self-deprecating narratives about his attempts to cope with the everyday world. Although incompetence and inertia are his basic survival skills, Kornbluth is roused from lethargy at the start of the monologue by the prospect of gainful employment -- playing Ben Franklin visiting present-day New York in a series of comic relief spots for the then-fledgling MSNBC cable network.

Admitting his limited grasp of the subject matter (he knew 1776 was the date when “Ben Franklin gathered in Philadelphia with all the other guys from the musical, and they signed the Declaration of Independence”), Kornbluth is determined to move beyond the familiar iconic figure and discover the “real” Franklin. The baggage from Kornbluth’s upbringing in a household of fanatical Communists -- a recurring theme in his monologues -- lends a distinctly “alternative” perspective to his research.

Although he characteristically starts out by freeloading on the knowledge and expertise of others, Kornbluth soon fixates on a little-explored subject: Franklin’s painful and complete estrangement from his son William over their support for opposing sides in the Revolutionary War.

Reading about William’s defiance leads Kornbluth to wonder, “Would I have said no to my father? I mean, if he had lived long enough for us to have that kind of adult-to-adult relationship?” In this casually tossed-out line lies the crux of Kornbluth’s obsession: Having lost his father at an early age, he continues to wrestle with abandonment and the fear that he hasn’t lived up to his dad’s expectations. Although he never tackles these issues in a direct, conscious way, they add gravitas to his whimsical, episodic storytelling in director-collaborator David Dower’s focused staging.

It’s the playful exploration of ideas rather than internal dramatic tension that drives Kornbluth’s monologues, and one of his unusual gifts as a performer is his ability to make that intellectual passion contagious and fun. Coupled with his disarmingly engaging persona, it more than compensates for his limitations in capturing the personalities of the other characters who figure in his stories (they’re always less convincing and filtered through his own voice).

Though well established as a performer, Kornbluth is first and foremost a writer. His finely honed narrative leaves no loose ends -- even the most seemingly incidental details have an eventual payoff -- and rewards careful attention.

His work is proof that the ability to tell a good story is even more important than having a good story to tell.

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‘Ben Franklin: Unplugged’

Where: Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura

When: 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Ends: March 5

Price: $25 to $49

Contact: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org

Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes