The eve of war on the stage

Original play kicks off Fort’s bicentennial events

The eve of war on the stage. The cast of The Lion and the Eagle, an original play set on the eve of the War of 1812, breathe a sigh of relief after a great opening night at the Old Fort on Saturday. Pictured from left are, back row: Darka Makarec, Dan Bennett, John Johnston, Carson John, Andrew Martin, Katie Howard, and Mayor Doug Martin, front row: John Dickhout, Andrea Morgan and Marcie Young.

So the Yanks and the Brits aren’t getting along, what else is new.
Abner Moody is not going to let a little thing like the threat of impending war stop him from opening his tavern to the patrons of Fort Erie.
It’s the yuletide season and Moody is determined to give people one last party to close out 1811.
With his daughter Mimi on the fiddle, the entire bar is alive with dancing, laughter, singing, and one huge explosion.
Despite a sign on the way into the theatre which warned of loud noises, a large chunk of the audience still jumped out of their seats when the crack of musket fire rang through the Old Fort during the opening night of the new play The Lion and the Eagle on Saturday night.
The explosion stood as a divider between two completely separate experiences contained within the same play.
The first act is a fourth-wall breaking, semi-interactive play/singalong/concert consisting mostly of light-hearted fare and amusing conversations with the audience, who are seated all around the the stage rather in front of it.
At one point, a “patron” of Moody’s Bar stumbled over to Mayor Doug Martin, seated near the back of the audience, and began to harass him about getting the proper permits for a new outhouse he wants to build.
It seems even 200 years ago, developers in Fort Erie had trouble getting approval for their projects.
The comedy comes to a speedy halt when the two Americans who fired the musket into Moody’s Tavern are caught and dragged into the middle of the stage. After that things take a sharp left turn down a much darker path.
Moody — played spectacularly by Dan Bennett — is now tasked with trying to control the rag-tag group of patrons at the bar, each with their own idea of what should be done with the Americans.
Everyone from soldiers and civilians to First Nations’ people and Quakers weigh in on the consequences of war, culminating in an appearance from Sir Isaac Brock, played by Xander Warrender.
Heavy subjects like slavery, war, execution, and religion are all discussed but never in a ham-fisted manner. The discussions take place in the realm of 1811 but through the progressive filter of today.
Like Mrs. Baker; when one of the male characters tries to dismiss Mrs. Baker’s opinion as useless because she is a woman — something very likely to happen at the time — she is quick to put him back line — something very unlikely to happen at the time — and comes off as a very modern and empowered woman throughout the play.
And when the conversation veers into the murky waters of slavery, the patrons of Moody’s Tavern are quick to condemn the Americans for their use slaves, while at the same time acknowledging their countries own dark past.
It’s that attention to detail, provided by historians Joseph Lischka and Charlie Capern, combined with the sharp and thoughtful writing from Brian Cotsworth that make The Lion and the Eagle a real treat to take in.
Saturday night’s performance also contained a special surprise for the opening night audience; Mayor Martin came back at the end of the night in full period costume and played a roll that really stretched his acting abilities to their limits: the mayor of Fort Erie.
As Mayor of Fort Erie from the past he read the declaration of war, then seamlessly switching to present day mayor, he declared the start of the celebrations of the bicentennial of the war he had just declared a moment earlier.
It was all a bit confusing but certainly a fun ride nonetheless.
And as for the fate of those two captured yanks; well, you’ll just have to check out the play for yourself to find out.
The Lion and the Eagle continues every Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. for the entire month of January. Tickets are available at Benjamin Moore Paints, visit forterie1812.ca for pricing and more information.