You can check out The Firebird Theatre at their official website, on YouTube and Twitch, on X and Bluesky, and on Discord.
They are located on the Faerie server, Aether data center, Empyreum Ward 6, Plot 60.
Their next production, The Simple Life of Johanna Cadieu, has not released a performance schedule yet.
After FINAL FANTASY XIV Online first launched with 1.0 on September 30, 2010, and then A Realm Reborn swept out the Seventh Umbral Era and ushed in the Seventh Astral Era in 2013, Eorzea has never been short of stories. There are tales of the faraway lands, legends about Louisoix and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and (of course) myths about a star-renowned detective and his assistant. On Faerie server, however, a troupe of performers have decided to bring their own stories to life as part of The Firebird Theatre over in Empyreum ward 6, plot 60.
Last week was the closing series of shows for their seventh (yes, SEVENTH) show, Beauty and the Beast. Scoot Patoot (director, scriptwriter, casting director, and acting consultant) returned to bring this production of a classic fairy tale to life — and this version is not a Disney singalong. During the nearly two-hour runtime (with an intermission partway through), you are introduced to Belle. Expertly portrayed by C’khes “Kel” Rhel, Belle is a woman who wants to take care of her father, stay friends with her pal Vittorio (Leo Stella), and live her life on her own terms. That is, until Marceau (Alexander Shay) is forced to take refuge at a castle during a storm. That castle belongs to the Beast (Stanzek Rosyasch in their first leading role), who was transformed from being a prince (Solace Valjann) by a Pixie (Devil Knight, also in their first production). Rounding out the cast is Jean (Sasu Arkwright) and Gabriel (Romarique De Durendaire) who have been turned invisible because of the Pixie’s curse.
The Firebird Theatre put on their entire performance of Beauty and the Beast inside of their house on the Faerie server. One thing that really surprised me about attending was that they do not sell tickets. Instead, they are a first-come-first served lineup outside of the house. I showed up about an hour-and-a-half early before the matinee performance, and I was nowhere near one of the first people in line. They will let people line up until there is no more room permitted inside, and then they will cut the line off. You are invited to go inside the property via /tell. If you are too late to get inside, the performances are streamed live on Twitch.
Once you’re inside, and after you pass by the interior photo opportunity and jump up the white ‘stairs’ and pass by the concessions area, you enter into a large raised-box theater. For this performance at least, the entire area is covered in flowers on the sides and in the boxed seating, and the floor itself is covered in wood. Somehow, The Firebird Theatre has created a great approximation of a real-life theater. I walked around and tried sitting at various spots in the boxed seating, and I was pleased to find there wasn’t a bad seat in the house to see the show. The Saturday AM performance was the first time I had attended a virtual theatre performance, so I quickly settled myself down into my seat to enjoy the show. I will note that before the show, one of the troupe members was kind enough to pop out and tell everyone what settings to set to ensure that they have the best possible experience.
The acting in The Firebird Theatre’s interpretation of Beauty and the Beast is quite sublime. The characters take full advantage of the space opened up to them on stage and emotes are utilized to really accent the dialogue. As the story progresses, it is hard to not fall in love with the budding romance between Belle and Beast. In fact, Beast honestly kept stealing the show away as his awkward, yet endearing attempts to romance Belle after almost immediately proposing to her make up the heart of the story.
The showstopping moment that really caught my breath, though, was the ballroom dance scene. Romarique De Durendaire (doubling up also as a costume designer) and Altari Arulaq (costume designer) really put together the perfect outfits for both Belle and Beast that made it feel like they stepped out of, well, a fairy tale. Smartly, the ballroom dance is presented as two Dancer jobs pairing up and performing together as Beast teaches Belle how to dance to A Dream in Flight by Masashi Hamauzu. It is simply impossible to not root for these characters, even as Vittorio turns unintentionally foul after a conversation with Marceau, and he tries to kill Beast towards the end of the play before Belle has to step in. Jean and Gabriel, even though they are both played more for comic relief than anything else (and Gabriel doubles up as the narrator), are still entertaining to watch interact with each other and the Beast as he plays a foil for them.
Of course, the set design by Aleu Lyehga is worth mentioning. It blows my mind how every time the ‘curtain’ fell and then raised (which turned the area in front of the audience box ‘black’), the stage itself would be completely different. I was shocked to see everything from a tall flower wall with a bench to a large metal cage to even a long table elaborately laid out for dinner that was effortlessly shuffled in and out quickly to tell the story without missing a (story)beat.
The story, adapted and directed for the Eorzean stage by Scoot Patoot, is tightly written, and the performance time really did fly by in under two hours. I think if there was one issue I had with the show, it is that I did not understand that Gabriel and Jean were both invisible until something was explicitly said later on. I could tell they were both see-through, but it didn’t ‘click’ in my head of what they truly were when they were first on stage. This is, ultimately, a minor issue with the writing that could have been sorted out with a single throwaway line much earlier.
Midway through the show, you were given time to purchase refreshments ranging from a rolanberry for 100 gil to Pixieberry Cheesecake and Rolanberry Shaved Ice for 2,500 gil. Additionally, you can buy Carnations for 10,000 gil, Gridanian Bouquet for 500,000 gil, dried orange/red oldroses for 50,000 gil a pop afterwards outside of the theatre house. I will note that you aren’t guilted into buying anything by the troupe, and it was because of that that I ended up buying a Dried Orange Oldrose afterwards to remember the show.
If you’ve done everything in Eorzea that you can possibly think of right now, and you are just biding your time until you see what Naoki Yoshida is coming up with for the Evercold expansion releasing in January 2027 (or even if you aren’t done with Dawntrail yet!), come to the Faerie server and take in a performance. The Firebird Theatre puts on a creative, emotionally enthralling, and expertly-performed live theatre show that should not be missed by any Eorzean.
Their next production is The Simple Life of Johanna Cadieu, and this is their first completely original show they are putting on. While it does not have a performance calendar set yet, the troupe will be recruiting volunteers to help with this production through their official Discord. And as for me, I know I will certainly be there opening night.
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Have you attended a live theatre performance by The Firebird Theatre troupe?
What kind of shows would you like to see come to Eorzea?
Let us know in the comments below!
