A Thousand Years Ago: A Romance of the Orient

"A Thousand Years Ago: A Romance of the Orient" by Percy MacKaye is a play that uses Persian romance like "The Thousand and One Tales" as inspiration to look at love, who people really are, and the struggle between fairy tales and what's real. The story begins with characters that include Princess Turandot, who has mixed feelings, Prince Calaf, who's disguised and good, and the Capocomico, a funny leader of Italian maskers who makes the story fun and interesting. The play starts at the city gate of Pekin, a scary place with heads of those who wanted Turandot's love but failed. The Capocomico and his group are sad because they're not accepted, then they meet Calaf, who misses his father and loves Turandot. Calaf decides to answer Turandot's dangerous questions to win her love. The play is exciting because Turandot is cold, and there's a fight for power where love is mixed with danger, making for a story that's funny, romantic, and thoughtful.