“The Love of Three Oranges” is running until March 10 at the Miami Theater Center in Miami Shores. Directed by Stephanie Ansin, the comedic musical show is meant for an audience of all ages.
Ansin, a Miami native and artistic director of the theater, describes the show — which she has adapted from the original 18th century manuscript by Carlos Grozzi — as “a coming of age story.”
The play revolves around the central character, Prince Tartaglia, and his journey in the search of three oranges. According to Ansin, the show is mix of a classic Italian comedic story with humorous musical numbers and physical improvisation.
“The prince has been sick for 10 years and the old king is concerned that, if he dies and his son dies too, the crown will pass to his evil niece,” Ansin said. “So they hire all kinds of doctors to help the prince, and finally these strange doctors say that he has an incurable case of hypochondria, and that he is probably going to die. The only possible cure is laughter.”
The king then hires a comedian to make the prince laugh, but an evil witch intercedes and puts a curse on the prince that makes him fall desperately in love with three oranges.
“Prince Tartaglia ends up traveling around the world looking for these three oranges with the court comedian as his sidekick,” said Ansin. “This ill prince has all of a sudden become the hero. And the humor comes out of how seriously he and his sidekick take these enchanted circumstances.”
Over mountains and valleys, through deserts and storms, the prince and the comedian search for the oranges. The prince grows as a person as he embarks on a journey fraught with obstacles.
Ansin said, “The search for the oranges gives Prince Tartaglia a purpose, especially since he has been sitting in the palace moping for ten years. And ironically, the curse the witch placed on him actually makes him stronger.”
According to Ansin, audiences can identify with the lead character and take key themes of this story home with them.
“One of the lessons of this story is that finding a purpose is very healing,” she said. “Once you find your purpose, life gets a lot better, things fall into place. And love, music and laughter also heal you along the way.”
Music plays a large role in the production. Ansin and her team created the script based on their own improvisational workshops.
“We ended up creating a version of the play that is very interactive with the audience and focuses on the magic of music, and the healing power of music,” she said.
Throughout the show, the actors interact with the audience, often improvising based off of their reactions. Kids in the audience are even encouraged to sing along during one of the musical numbers.
Ansin said that, “The audience can look forward to some beautiful moving pieces of scenery that transform and become different environments. They can look forward to physical comedy. They can look forward to a few really funny musical numbers. And they can look forward to some special magic.”
Tickets for “The Love of Three Oranges” are $20 and can be purchased by visiting mtcmiami.org or calling 305-751-9550.
