Much like Funke’spopular novel Inkheart, The Thief Lord has a moral complexityoften found lacking in the works of other children’s book authors. There may besimple good and evil in Funke’s work, but the text blurs the lines betweenthem. In The Thief Lord,brothers Prosper and Boniface areorphaned following the death of their mother. When it becomes clear that onlyone of them is to be adopted by their aunt and uncle, the two head to Venice, where they windup working for the title character. The prospect of stealing to make ends meetraises an interesting moral dilemma, as the brothers deal with theft anddeception in order to survive together.
Director Jeff Frankwill draw audiences into this complex story through a carefully craftedadventure.
“All of thecharacters are hiding something, and what better place to set such a tale thanthe maze-like city of wonder: Venice,”Frank says.
The atmosphere insuch a play is absolutely essential, and First Stage’s production value shouldadd a great deal of depth to TheThief Lord. The experienced talents ofscenic designer Sarah Hunt-Frank and lighting designer Jason Fassl willrecreate Venicefor this production. Costume designer Pamela J. Rehberg, who did an impressivejob with the costuming for UW-Milwaukee’s AMidsummer Night’s Dream, should ably capture the fantasy of the story. Inaddition to child actors from the First Stage Children’s Theater program, atalented adult cast includes Drew Brhel, Joe Foust, Tom Bruno and Braden Moran.
First Stage’s Thief Lord runs Jan. 22 – Feb. 14 at theMarcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater.
