Theatre Calgary’s world premiere of The Tale of the Gifted Prince is based on the novel The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen. This musical production in partnership with Somerled Arts, with book and lyrics by Lezlie Wade and music by Daniel Green, is an epic production, with a cast of artists from across Canada and the US. The musical is inspiring, invigorating and refreshing, though it runs a touch too long. In this time, when the world feels unstable, it is a joy to see such a talented all-Asian cast bring a new musical to the stage in Calgary. This event is a thing of magic.
This musical tells a full story. It is introduced by a shapeshifting Woman (Ma-Anne Dionsio) who will lead us through the telling. We are in the medieval Chinese Kingdom of Tang, where King Tai’s (Daren Dyhengco) regime is being threatened by a populist rebellion led by Na Ta (Julius Sermonia), the leader of the Yellow Scarves who rules by violence with his henchman Feng (Kodie Rollan). Prince Ren (Kennedy Kanagawa) in his naivety decides that he will be the one to defend the throne without any training. But first he has to begin his journey by travelling to the Kingdom of Tian Guo to see the guidance of a Shaman and he must also deliver five gifts. King Tai commands General Kuang (Kelly Wong) to accompany the Prince. Along his journey of peril, Ren meets travel companions, including the flute player (turns love interest) Zhi Hao (Kelsey Verzotti) and the most honest thief Mo Sha (Nikko Angelo Hinayo). As Ren tries to find Tian Guo, his kind and giving spirit attracts other comrades including the artist Ling (Selina Wong), the Falcolner (Michelle Yu) and a little girl who loves kites Lan (Olivia Yang).
This incredibly complex story features musical numbers that capture the emotions or comedy of the action on stage. This production also features an orchestra in the pit of the theatre led by conductor and musical director Daniel Green. Everyone on stage has mesmerizing voices with a couple of standouts, including Verzotti who is a powerhouse and demonstrates the strength of Zhi Hao’s character. She outshines Ren and it isn’t incredibly clear if they are an even match by the end of the musical. Yang is also a standout performance with her singing. Dionsio is critical to the narrative and the story wouldn’t be the same without her steady hand.
This script is heavy with a lot of action, a lot of characters to keep track of, and many story lines. There are a few theatrical elements and characters that bring levity to the seriousness of the narrative. The humour lies mostly with Mo Sha and Feng and hats off to both Rollan and Hinayo in their respective roles. Hinayo’s delivery as the thief shows their all encompassing talent of singing, comedy, and embodying a character to make it seem effortless. Rollan’s performance is fresh and he brings much needed humour to the production.
In addition to the live music and the outstanding performances, the magic of The Tale of the Gifted Prince lies with Green Fools Theatre and Dean Bareham who created and designed the puppets. These puppets are beautiful and add a magical touch to the whole production. The puppets are things of awe, delicate but powerful all at the same time. Puppet captain Daniel Fong’s work is worthy of mention here, as all the puppets are intricate to manipulate.
Beyata Hackborn’s set design along with Sean Nieuwenhuis’ projection design enhance the beauty of the production, especially when the cast is in a canoe and the projection design is the water reflecting in shades of blue on the stage floor. Jessica Poirier-Chang’s costume design is a great combination of fantasy and reality, with lots of colourful deep hues and gold to signify royalty. Director Darren Lee has the immense challenge of having the narrative move along in a tight format and sometimes it feels like the production didn’t want to cut anything, though all the scenes are beautiful. It’s a bit jarring in the second act to not see Zhi for a long time, while following other characters on their journeys.
Theatre Calgary put out an international search for this production, but the roots are planted in Calgary. Fong, Hinayo and Rollan are Calgary-based and other artists have seen success in Calgary. It’s such a gift to see local talent on stage with Broadway artists, and to see incredible talent across the board.
Theatre Calgary’s production of The Tale of the Gifted Prince has got it all. Magical puppets, an all-star cast, powerful musical numbers and a thoughtful story. It may run just a touch too long.
This production runs until March 15th. More information is available online.
Photo: (l to r) Kennedy Kanagawa, Nikko Angelo Hinayo, Kelsey Verzotti, Ma-Anne Dionisio in The Tale of the Gifted Prince. (Photo: HarderLee)
Eugene
You have written a lovely review for this production. When I saw it I was very impressed with all the things you mention. You seem to think the production may “run a touch too long”. I didn’t find that to be the case and when I saw it, the children in the audience seemed to be enthralled the whole time. The show ran for 2hrs 30 minutes which included a 20 minute intermission. This time seems to be the same or shorter than most musicals of this calibre. The Wizard of Oz runs 2:30; Harry Potter 2:55; Lion King 2:30. Legally Blonde ran 2:25. So for me the timing was not an issue. In the 2nd act Zhi Hao literally makes her appearance right after the woman sings the recap “What Happens Now”, about 5 minutes into the act. So, although I agree with most of your assessment of the production, the running time and appearance of Zhi Hao in the 2nd act are not a concern.
Jenna
Your analysis of length is fair, but I still felt like the first half was a touch long.
Yes, the children were entertained and that’s good.
My commentary on Zhi’s appearance was more about the two falling in love fast in the first half. Maybe that should have been in the second half after a while of her absence while we explore other storylines. But good to know they weren’t a concern on your part.
David Lin
I find it very difficult to recommend this show to other people… It is a interesting spectacle but musically very boring and hard to keep the attention at all.
Jenna
Thanks for commenting! On opening night, a friend of mine who is way more into musicals than I am, made the remark to me that none of the songs were memorable, that you don’t leave the theatre humming anything. Which was also the case with Legally Blond. Your perspective resonates.