American Repertory Theatre
 

The King Stag

by Carlo Gozzi
English version by Albert Bermel
directed by Andrei Serban
movement, costumes, masks, and puppetry by Julie Taymor
music by Elliot Goldenthal

set design by Michael H. Yeargan
lighting adapted by John Ambrosone
sound adapted by Christopher Walker
production restaged by Abbie Katz

Most recent tour concluded at the Barbican Centre, London, August 15 - September 2, 2001.

Most recent Loeb Drama Center performances September 14-28, 2000.

Cast - Synopsis - Photos - Links

Teachers: contact information@amrep.org for free King Stag educational materials.

The scene is the Oriental kingdom of Serendippo and the forest of Miracoli.
Running time is approximately ninety minutes with no intermission.

One of best loved and most successful of A.R.T. productions, The King Stag has delighted audiences worldwide, and returns prior to a new national tour as a special treat for the whole family. Gozzi's magical tale brings to life King Deramo, the faithful Angela who loves him, his treacherous prime minister Tartaglia, several hare-brained members of his court, a magician, a parrot, magical stags, and a giant bear. It's a fairy tale for all ages, a story of love and betrayal, intrigue and mirth, magic spells and pageantry.

 

CAST (most recent)

Jeremy Rabb

. . . Cigolotti, Durandarte's servant

Anthony Cistaro

. . . Durandarte, a magician and voice of Cigolotti's parrot

Todd Thomas Peters

. . . Brighella, a valet to the King

Sophia Fox-Long

. . . Smeraldina, Brighella's sister

Kevin Bergen

. . . Truffaldino, birdcatcher, in love with Smeraldina

D'metrius Conley-Williams

. . . Tartaglia, prime minister and secretary to the King, in love with Angela

Kristine Goto

. . . Clarice, Tartaglia's daughter, in love with Leandro

Jeremy Proctor

. . . Leandro, son of Pantalone, a courtier

Evan Zes

. . . Pantalone, second minister to the King, father of Leandro and Angela

Sarah Howe

. . . Angela, daughter of Pantalone, in love with the King

Jay Boyer

. . . Deramo, the King

 

Understudies/Movement of the shadwow puppets, marionettes, and kites: Amanda Blair Brown, Matthew Francis, Aysan Çelik, Jesse Hawkes, Naeemah A. White-Peppers.

Stage Manager, Victoria Sewell; Assistant Stage Manager, J.P. Phillips; Blue People Coordinator, Kelli Edwards.

 

SYNOPSIS

Deramo, king of the Oriental kingdom of Serendippo, is searching for a wife. With the aid of a magical statue, he has already interviewed and rejected 748 candidates before meeting Angela, the beautiful daughter of his Second Minister. She alone loves him not for his crown but for himself.

Unfortunately Angela is also loved by the evil Tartaglia, Prime Minister of Serendippo, who is determined that the King shall marry his daughter Clarice.

Soon Tartaglia has hatched a terrible plan. He discovers that Deramo knows a magic spell with which he can transfer his soul into the body of a dead creature. When the King and his court are out hunting in the enchanted forest of Miracoli, Tartaglia seizes his moment and challenges Deramo to demonstrate his magical powers by sending his soul into the corpse of a stag they have just killed. The King does so, whereupon Tartaglia, repeating the spell, implants his own spirit in the dead body of the King.

Mayhem ensues, and for a time all seems lost for Deramo and Angela. But this is a fairy tale, and as in all the best fairy tales, everything ends happily ever after.

PHOTOS

Click on any thumbnail to open full-size photo in a separate window:

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LINKS/MEDIA COVERAGE

 

ATT logo

This production and its tour have been made possible in part by the generous support of AT&T.

The King Stag has been made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation.

The King Stag is part of CrossCurrents, a major multi-year initiative of the A.R.T. and the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, designated to create and sustain a body of new music theatre works. CrossCurrents is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies, Inc.

webmanager@amrep.org
This page updated September 7, 2001