What’s your tale, nightingale? Arabian Nights unveils stories galore.

Lights, camera, action – but not in the traditional sense. The Homestead Theatre Department has done it again, and this time, they’re boogie woogie-ing, “what’s up Doc”-ing and burnin’ rubber.

Starting off in a 1950’s-themed elementary schoolhouse set, a set of spectacular tales unfolds as the actors offer an interactive experience from the start. The characters provided a cacophonous, elementary welcome to all audiences entering the theatre.

While I was initially confused as to why Will Toney, senior, was talking to me about warm milk and gas, and why Kia Pourmodheji, junior, was so excited to see the cellphone – “portal” – of a bald man he dubbed “Wizard,” the pieces quickly fell into place as three separate people came to ask me to color with them onstage.

This play was a cultural charm, and as Pourmodheji said, it is “a culture packed play that will keep you chuckling for days.” This was all too true during an impromptu switch out of Mark Usatinsky, senior, and the horse that Sam Ginkel, senior, was supposed to ride across the stage. While unconventional, it only added to the jubilant atmosphere of the play.

The main plot line was fascinating, and any minor word slip-ups were masked by the sheer gorgeousness of the costumes and the rudimentary vogue of the set. Andrea Tirsky, senior, summed this play up perfectly as, “A girl brings laughter back into a kingdom of sorrow through the power of stories.”

The history of this show is remarkable. For Andrew Lococo, junior, this was his fifth show with Homestead’s Theatre Department. “I really enjoyed this one because it’s such a tight-knit cast,” Lococo said. And for acting teacher Mrs. Amelia Figg-Franzoi, “My favorite part of the play was the trapeze and teaching kids how to use the dance trapeze.”

And what a play it was. Combining trapeze, an interactive atmosphere throughout the show and the constantly prevalent atmosphere of laughter, the production of Arabian Nights was definitely a night to remember.