Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is pleased to bring THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN to life February 15-17 & 23 on the Taft Theatre stage. This world-premiere musical will introduce audiences to the teenage wizard, Merlin, and his mysterious and magical youth. This coming-of-age tale, will share the backstory of Merlin, his boyhood friend ,– King Arthur, and the beautiful, bewitching Morgana, as teens in mythical ancient England. Come and take a journey with Merlin and discover the greatest magic of all, friendship! Featuring magic tricks, illusions, sword fighting and more!
The show is directed by Angela Powell Walker. Book, Music and Lyrics are by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman who created the hit “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati for the 2011-2012 season, as well as “How I Became a Pirate” which the company produced in 2010-2011.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is excited to recruit the work of Fight Director, Gina Cerimele-Mechley as she creates all the show’s sword battles and fight choreography.
SYNOPSIS:
In the days of old, when knights roamed the kingdom, a young apprentice wizard named Merlin is slowly discovering the secret to becoming a great sorcerer. Another young lad, Arthur, is destined to become king – but only if he is able to pull the magical sword, Excalibur, from the stone. Two sister sorceresses have their own idea for the fate of the sword. Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, commands the sword into the stone to keep it from the hands of her evil sister, Morgana. But Morgana vows, “Arthur will never be king!” and proclaims that the sword shall be hers.
Merlin, who lives with the Old Master Sorcerer and his wife, is tired of doing chores like cleaning out the dragon cage and mopping the floor. Instead he only wants to work on mastering his magical skills. Everyone in town is fighting to pull the sword from the stone. Morgana puts a stop to this while Arthur, in disguise, looks on. Recognizing he is in danger, he seeks the help of the kindly Master Sorcerer, who advises him to join forces instead with his young apprentice, Merlin. Arthur, who is nicknamed “Wart” and Merlin become fast friends. As they journey to the sword in the stone, Merlin begins to teach Arthur the “principles of magic” and the qualities of a true king: strength, wisdom, bravery, humility and vision. They encounter Morgana’s knights who battle Arthur, but are defeated by Merlin’s magic. Soon after, they meet the Lady Guinevere, whose skill with the sword proves her to be a worthy companion on their quest. Arthur tells her that he hopes to be king and she asks him how he would rule. He describes a “peaceful and just kingdom where all of the knights sit together at a round table.”
Merlin encounters Morgana’s sister, Nimue, who offers him advice on ways to strengthen his magic. But Morgana stops Merlin, tempting him to leave Arthur and Guinevere behind and join their powers together to capture the sword and rule the kingdom. Will Merlin choose ultimate magical power – his lifelong dream – or friendship with Arthur and Guinevere? Will Arthur pull the sword from the stone and defeat Morgana and her knights? Can the young apprentice Merlin become the greatest wizard of the land? Magical surprises provide the answers in this enchanted and bewitching adventure.
Visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com for more information.
THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, through February 23. 7:30 p.m. Friday February 15; Saturday February 16, 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 17 and Saturday, February 23, 2 PM; Taft Theatre, 5th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets $7-$20. 1-800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.
THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF MERLIN is made possible by the generous support of Chemed and Hilliard Lyons. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is supported by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Children’s Theatre’s Season Sponsors are the Charles H. Dater Foundation and the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation. Media sponsors are The Cincinnati Enquirer, LOCAL 12 and Time Warner Cable. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 