“Founding F%!#ers” by Conor Casey. Directed by Weylin Symes. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Co., 395 Main Street, Stoneham, through May 18.
by Michele Markarian
According to Napoleon, “History is a set of lies agreed upon.” But who decides what makes history? While history agrees that Ethan Allen was a hero and Benedict Arnold a traitor, Conor Casey’s play paints a comic version of the character of each man and the contentious rivalry that they had with one another during a tumultuous time in America’s history.
Ethan Allen (William Johnston) is a party boy who’d rather stay in Vermont, drink and tell stories than take part in the Revolution. During one drunken night, he gets the locals riled up about forming a militia – the Green Mountain Boys – and when they enthusiastically show up on his doorstep the next day, no amount of pleading that it was just “barroom talk” can let him off the hook. Benedict Arnold (Marge Dunn) is a more serious soldier; protocol and honor mean something to him. But Benedict’s dour personality can’t hold a candle to the more robust, swashbuckling bravado of Ethan, who gets all the recognition and glory for a battle that they win together. Eventually, their paths diverge – Ethan gets captured during an ill-advised raid on Quebec, while Benedict is sent to be the military governor of Philadelphia. Bored out of his mind and socially inept, Benedict falls under the spell of the young and beautiful Peggy Shippen (Jenny S. Lee), who, with her cohort John Andre (Will McGarrahan, also doubling as the narrator), is collaborating with the British. History, as presented here, is made up of accidents and emotional choices, rather than detachment and strategy, which, oddly enough, despite the humor exhibited throughout, has plausibility.
The cast does a credible job with the material, which, admittedly, I found a little juvenile. McGarrahan, relaxed and affable, sets the tone for the piece, putting the audience at ease from behind a podium. Dunn shines as Benedict, wearing a put-upon expression while bristling at the attention that only comes to Ethan. Benedict is just not shiny – he’s the kid at school who’s always raising his hand, trying to get the teacher’s attention, which Dunn plays to the hilt. She manages to make Benedict sympathetic. Lee is compelling as Peggy, and Stewart Evan Smith is commanding as George Washington. Deirdre Gerrard’s period costumes are stunning – Peggy’s dress in act two is almost worth betraying a country over.
Underneath the silliness of Founding F%!#ers is some actual history of the players and battles of the American Revolution, which was interesting. I had no idea, for example, that a battle during this time took place in Quebec; nor did my history buff husband. I didn’t know that Ethan Allen didn’t live to see Vermont admitted to the Union as the 14th state, or that Benedict Arnold, despite his act of treason, married Peggy Shippen and lived out the rest of his days in marital bliss. Actually learning a few things is not a bad way to spend a few hours, and if you’re lucky, there may be a few laughs along the way. For information and tickets, go to:
