Tomorrow is opening day at Quirk for Jackson Lacey’s “The Prince, the Wolf and the Firebird,” directed by Pam Cardell.
The play, which was written by Lacey in 1972, has been performed at Eastern Michigan University twice.
The story follows Prince Ivan in his quest to catch the thief who is stealing the king’s golden apples. If Ivan can catch the thief, he will be rewarded with half the kingdom upon his return and is promised the remaining half upon the king’s death.
When the prince’s older brothers discover what their father has planned for Ivan, they band together to plot his downfall. The prince catches the Firebird in his father’s tree and learns of all its secrets.
Ivan’s brothers overhear this conversation and tell the king, who then declares one of the princes must catch the Firebird. During his quest the prince seeks the aid of the king’s priest, a wolf and a Russian princess.
“This is a fantasy show that takes you back to your childhood,” said Krissi Hardy, who plays Princess Moushka. “It has sword fighting and bad guys; it is everything you could want in an hour and a half!”
This year’s director, Pam Cardell, performed in the play when she was a student at EMU in 1990.
“I have a big sentimental attachment,” she said. “When we were looking for plays this year there was a spot opening on main stage for a children’s show, so I decided to do ‘Firebird.’ ”
The performance is a fantasy thriller, appropriate for the young and delightful for the young at heart.
“Five students watched a test run, and they really appreciated that there was humor for both,” Cardell said.
The costumes and set were based on illustrations by Ivan Bilibin. Cardell aimed to create a noticeably two-dimensional set that would mimic the pages of a storybook.
“We wanted the audience to use their imagination,” she said.
“We only had three weeks and three days to rehearse the show,” said Randy Brown, who is making his debut as main stage manager. “Everything has run smoothly. There is a great cast and fabulous director.”
The theater program will be giving a special matinee performance for Canton High School and Strong Middle School.
In addition, EMU Theater is working with the Ann Arbor chapter of 826 Michigan. There are currently buy-one, get-one-free vouchers available through 826 – just bring the voucher to the box office to get your ticket.
The play’s first show is at 7 p.m. with additional performances Dec. 5, 10 and 11 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 5, 6 and 12 at 3 p.m. The performance runs an hour and 40 minutes. For more information visit www.emich.edu/emutheatre.
