Theatre Calgary’s The Tale of The Gifted Prince: rebellion and relatability
By Ben Read, March 25 2026—
Theatre Calgary is one of the first and best known professional theatre companies in Calgary and is located at the heart of Downtown Calgary. Starting Feb. 14, they hosted the world premiere musical titled The Tale of the Gifted Prince.
Kelly Wong, a Calgary-born actor playing the military general Kuang, sat down with the Gauntlet to discuss how he and the rest of the cast brought the play to life.
“It started as a 10 minute piece inspired by a story called The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen,” said Wong.
Leslie Wade and Daniel Green, the playwright and music director for the musical, initially began the project over a decade ago for a music theater workshop. They based the play on the novel called The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen. After the workshop, the two realized the potential of the play and its ability to be expanded upon.
“I think you can look at what’s going on in the world today and say that a story like that is just as applicable today as it would have been when this story was written, and as it would have been 400 years ago or 800 years ago,” said Wong.
Wong explained that the story explores themes of rebellion and conflict. He mentions how the play reflects our tendency as human beings to “go in the phases of the ups and downs of war”. Modern audiences will be intrigued to hear that the story examines the point of view of the rebels, even though it does not endorse them. The play’s depth results from its willingness to examine the perspectives of both the rebels and the kingdom.
“The whole design of this piece is incredible from the set and the costumes,” said Wong, “The costumes are amazing. When I first saw my costume, I couldn’t stop smiling at the design presentation.”
The costume design and stage effects in the play are crafted with utmost care. Wong compared the composition of the costumes as something akin to a cosplay outfit. He said he and his cast members “all [looked] like a million bucks”.
In describing the stage effects, Wong told the Gauntlet about a stage puppet horse which was made to be the same size as a real Clydesdale. The puppet requires the combined effort of many people to properly puppet it. Each part of the horse’s body was said to move independently, from the head, ears and the tail. Audiences will be in awe upon seeing these costumes and stage effects in the theatre.
“I do think that when people leave the theater, they’re gonna love the music. The music in this show is really, really special.” said Wong.
Multiple well-known composers contributed to the musical production. Wade and Green had their musical pieces workshopped by Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz is a composer who played a vital role in producing popular Disney and Broadway songs during the 1990s. There, he helped work on titles such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pochahontas and Wicked. The musical takes inspiration from his works and incorporates his musical essence. Jason Robert Brown is another composer from whom the film takes inspiration. Brown is best known as a contemporary composer who is currently working on Broadway and produced two of his most famous musicals, Parade and The Last Five Years.
“I think that everyone who comes to see it will take away something differently from it,” said Wong. “I think that, because there are so many characters in the play, it allows each audience member to find their ‘in’ through each of these different characters.”
Wong believes that the play allows its audience to recognize or empathize with at least one character. The unique, diverse cast allows for people to relate to the characters, regardless of their standing in the struggle of “good” against “bad.”
The Tale of the Gifted Prince showed at Theatre Calgary from Feb. 14 to Mar. 15, 2026. Additional information about the play can be found on the Theatre Calgary website.