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George Washington had an explosive temper when he was young, but he managed to control it by sheer will. That's what playwright Tony Marino learned about the first president of the United States, and that fiery intensity is one reason he cast Joe Pedulla in the role of Washington in "Rivers of Destiny," which has its world premier Friday at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg.

"One of the things that I like about Joe on stage is that he can run the gamut of emotions," said Marino, who is artistic director of Stage Right, in Greensburg. "I found in research that if Washington was pushed in the wrong areas, he could be dangerous. He was a guy with a pretty nasty temper, and Joe has the right edge about him to portray that."

Washington's powerful personality may surprise some people, but Marino carefully created the role based on old documents and newer information about Washington and his impact on colonial history.

Marino's original musical, written with Stage Right musical director Warren Shirer, covers the early military career of Washington, who was 21 when the frontier was bloodied with the beginning of a conflict that shaped his destiny.

"What happened to him in the French and Indian War, what we are seeing of him is the birth of the man who would do significant things in the Revolutionary War and then be the father of our nation," Marino said.

The production is funded with grants from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the Laurel Highlands Tourism Bureau. It is part of the first annual George Washington Days, co-sponsored by Westmoreland Heritage. Its executive director, Thomas Headley, believes that Washington's early career and the impact of the war here have been neglected by historians.

"That's because in the early days of our nation, the centers for learning were in Yale and Harvard, and the historians were mainly from New England, and they taught history that was the most flattering to them," he said. "So in their minds, the revolution began in Lexington and

Concord, but in reality, some very important things happened on the frontiers of western Pennsylvania in the 1750s. But as a whole, it's been pretty much forgotten."

"Rivers of Destiny" and "George Washington Days" at Lynch Field this weekend mark the kickoff of the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War.

"You don't even have to know history or understand history to like the show," Marino said. "It stands on its own as a story."

The plot has all the right ingredients for stage drama: conflict, power, death, heroes, bravery and loyalty.

Pedulla, of Pitcairn, has played other demanding characters with Stage Right, including Pilate in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and Jesus in "Godspell." Marino is pleased with the way he is bringing life to the complex starring role.

In one early scene, Washington, an officer with the Virginia militia, is sent by the governor to deliver a message to the French to leave Fort LeBoeuf, near Erie. There he meets a French officer with a rude attitude and an eye for stealing Washington's Indian allies.

"It's not like he's going to fly off the handle right away," Marino said. "There's a buildup to it that reveals how and why he lost his temper, and at that point forward in the story, there's a change in Washington."

The plot continues with the events that led to war, and the struggle of the British and the French to control the rivers in Pittsburgh. Washington used what he learned in those early years in his later role in the Revolutionary War. For instance, in 1754, the soldiers were not paid nor given the land promised to them for their services.

"He saw that the only way to keep them in the Revolutionary War was if he paid them out of his own pocket," Marino said. "So he sacraficed his own pay, and the men loved him so much that they stayed to fight instead of deserting."

That was just one aspect of the man who learned how to control his temper, and how to control and lead the people around him. Through that story is woven the tale based on the real Mary Jemison, who as a teenager was kidnapped by the Indians. That role is played by Rachael Braun, a student at Kiski Area High School and Stage Right Performing Arts.

Tim Brady, of Pittsburgh, plays Christopher Gist, who traveled with Washington on the frontier.

"All the writings describe Gist as a powerful man in his 40s," Marino said. "He was plainspoken and well-liked, and able to mingle among generals and Indians."

Brady was recently in the Civic Light Opera's "1776" in Pittsburgh, and so was Scott Sambucco, who is cast as an Indian and also as Captain Phillipe Thomas Joncaire, a French officer that Washington encountered in Logstown, in Venango County.

"In that scene, the brandy flows freely, Joncaire gets a little drunk, and the French make fun of Washington," Marino said.

The drunken Joncaire also reveals a little too much about their plans for the three rivers.

The musical ends after the violent battle when Gen. Edward Braddock attempted to capture Fort Duquesne. Braddock, played by John Noble, of Greensburg, was mortally wounded in that defeat, and Washington had his uniform shot full of holes.

A minor plot involves Edgar and Sara Frances, a young couple who traveled with Braddock. It was not unusual for prostitutes and wives to accompany the troops, especially on an expedition that was expected to be easy.

"Sara was pregnant at the time and didn't want to leave her husband, who was a British regular," Marino said. "And it never occurred to them that they would not just walk into Fort Duquesne and take care of it."

But Edgar, played by Alex Noble, of Greensburg, was killed by an Indian. His wife, played by Stage Right student Tara Geisler, was captured and later killed at Fort Duquesne.

Jason Swauger, from Beaver, portrays Half King, an Indian who traveled with Washington, and Don Anderson, a veteran of local stages, is Governor Dinwiddy. Renata Marino is Slight Wind, one of Mary's adopted Indian sisters.

George Washington Days events

History comes alive this weekend at Lynch Field, in Greensburg, when the first annual "George Washington Days" recreates the mid-18th Century frontier. The event opens from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. The celebration continues from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. George Washington Days at Lynch Field concludes at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Vendors: Food vendors and demonstrations include blacksmith Jeff Hayes, of Bolivar, and iron, glassware and hemp items from the Catawba Forge, of Black Lick. Matt Stein will be making Windsor chairs, and there will be pottery from Goosebay Workshops. The Barkertown Suttlers, from New York, will have candle dipping and period clothing.

The Braddock's Trail Gallery is selling historical art prints by Robert Griffing, John Buxton and Lee Teter, and the Allegheny Land Trust, of Pittsburgh, has a series of historical prints by Pittsburgh artist Nat Youngblood. Palladin Communications will have DVDs of a documentary on

George Washington, and representatives will be on hand from several local historical groups and museums.

Military re-enactors: French and Indian War re-enactors are setting up camp to demonstrate military life on the frontier, and Kent Courtney, of Hanover, will perform historical music throughout the weekend.

Saturday:

At 2 and 4 p.m., Bob and Kathleen Millward, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, will give a program on teaching history through art.

Two lectures are scheduled at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

At 11 a.m., Dr. Frank Cassells, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, will present "The Battle For Empire: The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania, 1754-1763."

At 12:30 p.m., Dr. David Dixon, professor of history at Slippery Rock University, will present "From the Meadows to Valley Forge: George Washington in Pennsylvania."

Sunday:

An 18th-century style church service by the Rev. Robert Wilson, who is retired from the First United Methodist Church, in Greensburg. at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

A colonial tea party that begins at 1p.m. at Redstone Highlands, north of Greensburg. Admission is $2. Historian Sandra Wright Justiss, from eastern Pennsylvania, will discuss customs and manners of the period. Local historian and writer Robert Van Atta will present a program about this area during the French and Indian War.

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