"Victorian Patriotic Show" at AIHA

The American Magic-Lantern Theater -- the nation's only theater company  recreating the gay nineties ancestor of today's movies -- presents its "Victorian Patriotic Magic-Lantern Show!" at the Albany Institute of History & Art as a part of the Grand Opening Weekend Celebration on Sunday, September 23, 2001.

The audience chants, cheers and sings the grand old patriotic favorites.  American history sweeps by in story and song.  An inventive young patriot launches himself from the barn on leather wings -- to disaster in the manure pile below.  The "man without a country" lives a lifetime aboard ship, forbidden ever to see America again. And ninety-year old Barbara Frietchie faces down the rebel general, Stonewall Jackson.

The program is not a magic show, but a Magic-Lantern Show -- an authentic re-creation of the popular 1890s form of big-screen entertainment that led to the movies.   This early "moving picture" is created by a "magic-lantern" that rapidly projects antique hand-painted slides on a full-size movie screen.  The slides, many of which are animated, illustrate Victorian patriotic stories, comedy, and songs.  The "sound track" is created by  live costumed narrators, singers and musicians in a mixture of raucous fun, melodrama, and tender sentiment.  The audience provides the "sound effects,” tooting on horns, banging on tambourines, and joining in chants and sing-alongs.

Terry Borton, lead performer, says that patriotic celebrations held a special place in the Victorian heart.  "In the 1890s most people over age 30 could remember the horrors of the Civil War.  The big patriotic celebrations were an essential part of healing the nation's wounds, and creating a united country once again.  The Victorians loved patriotic passion, drama, song, and a roaring good time.  Our show reflects that spirit."

"The Victorian Patriotic Magic-Lantern Show!" will appear on Sunday, September 23, 2001 at 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm.  The performance appeals to adults and to children age 6 and up and is free with paid admission to the museum.