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From left, Lane Hakel is William McKinley, Gary Keller is Warren G. Harding, and Kent McClary is Ulysses S. Grant in the play to be performed this weekend in Pemberville.
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Play focuses on 8 from Ohio

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Play focuses on 8 from Ohio

PEMBERVILLE, Ohio - They're dead and buried.

But the eight U.S. presidents who hailed from Ohio get together once a month in heaven to discuss politics.

And this year, they're keeping tabs on Ohio's bicentennial.

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At least that's the premise of an original play called Mamma's Boys, A Visit from Ohio's 8 Presidents, which will be performed for the first time at the Pemberville Opera House this weekend.

In the play, written by Steve Froelich of Jenera, Ohio, the eight presidents gather for one of their regular monthly meetings in a former president's home.

While there, they talk about how they're being portrayed in Ohio during this year's bicentennial celebration. Toward the end of the 90-minute production, each president stands up and makes a personal statement about himself.

“In the end, we all get up and address the audience as if they were the people of Ohio,” said Kent McClary, who is one of the actors. “This is what we want them to know about what we did; not what the books said.”

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The presidents with Ohio ties were: William Henry Harrison (1841), Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81), James A. Garfield (1881), Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893), William McKinley (1897-1901), William Howard Taft (1909-1913), and Warren G. Harding (1921-23).

Mr. McClary, who has researched presidential history, said he hopes the unusual show will provide people with more insight about the presidents. He said some of them are misunderstood or only remembered for negative things.

The show was written using direct quotes or by paraphrasing what the presidents actually said, the actor said.

Mr. McClary, 44, who portrays Grant in the performance, said some of the speeches are funny, while others - namely Harding's speech - are emotional.

“Harding's is really touching: `He said I should never have been here, I don't belong,'” Mr. McClary said.

A fifth-grade history teacher at Bowling Green's Kenwood Elementary School, Mr. McClary said it was his idea - particularly his research - that prompted the play. He said he also helped to find other actors to be involved: namely Kenwood teacher Lane Hakel and school Principal Gary Keller.

Mr. Hakel, who will take to the stage as McKinley, said he didn't know a great deal about his president until he started reading scripts for the play. He said he ended up realizing that his subject was by far one of the more popular Ohio presidents, even though he was assassinated.

“He appeared to be one of the good guys,” said Mr. Hakel, 39.

Mr. Keller will have a different job when he portrays Harding, whose term in office was laced with scandals. Mr. Keller, who is told he looks like the former president and has some of the same mannerisms, hopes to bring other things about Harding to light this weekend. The show is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

“People failed to see he really did some good things. He was a person who had a great deal of faith,” said Mr. Keller, 62. “He didn't like conflict.”

The production, which costs $7 for adults and $5 for children, also will be shown March 20 at Eastwood High School.

Mr. McClary said the play is expected to be performed at other sites throughout the state this year as well.

First Published March 6, 2003, 12:32 p.m.

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From left, Lane Hakel is William McKinley, Gary Keller is Warren G. Harding, and Kent McClary is Ulysses S. Grant in the play to be performed this weekend in Pemberville.  (blade)
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