I met John Lennon. Well, I didn’t meet him, per say. But we were in the same room. He and Yoko Ono held their iconic “bed-in” for peace at the Queen Elizabeth hotel in Montreal 40 years ago next Tuesday. But I remember it like it was yesterday.

John/Yoko Bed Piece, the latest stage offering from writer/director Risha Yorke, re-creates an event with a message as poignant now as it was then.

In the performance space, there is no stage. At the foot of the bed, a spread of cushions and pillows and carpets welcome all onlookers. The room itself is recreated almost to perfection, down to the placement of the hand-drawn posters and slogans on the walls. Lennon and Ono — along with a band of friendly, personable hippies — welcome guests and pose for photos. And once the festivities begin, everyone’s involved.

Yorke magically condensed a 10-day event into approximately 90 minutes, with the dialogue flowing seamlessly between her words and those she transcribed from the actual bed-in.

Of the cast members, Tom Smart and Sharon Marquez (as John and Yoko, respectively) have the hardest task. No one would accept a caricature, or a crude re-creation, of either. But Smart plays Lennon wonderfully, from his wit and comic timing to his passion for peace. And Marquez’s dead-on impression of Ono overcomes the fact that she looks very little like her.

Todd Cleland’s performance as Taylor stands as another near-perfect recreation, as does Ted Neal’s Tommy Smothers. Perhaps the best of all, though, is Devin Upham as the defiantly conservative and hopelessly out of touch cartoonist Al Capp. It’s a shame we only get to see him for one, albeit memorable, scene.

Along with the action on stage, Yorke employs the use of audio and video to present recreated interviews and characters (such as Elan Even as Jerry Rubin in a silly-looking wig) that occasionally take us outside of the hotel.

And any review of this play would be remiss not to make a solid mention of the soundtrack by Yorke’s long-time collaborator Graham Porter. His original songs are passionate and genuine and woven wonderfully into the event. Porter deserves great credit for adding a soul to the heart and bones of Yorke’s play.

In the end, John/Yoko Bed Piece stands as a hugely enjoyable show. The audience participation is voluntary, but I dare any to try to resist joining in with “Give Peace a Chance” - the show’s memorable finale performed by the entire cast. It’s a moving ending to a play that evokes the inspirational message of the original event a generation earlier.

So go on - give Piece a chance. That’s all I am saying.

John/Yoko Bed Piece runs until June 7th at the Theatre Centre (100-1087 Queen Street West). Visit http://www.draft89.com or http://www.johnyokobedpiece.com for details.