ABOUT HOW I.I. BECAME UP
IN PEOPLE
6+
a fairytale comedy for the whole family
scenario Iacob Gribinenco
Premiere took place
8 november 2025
1 h 30
without intermission
Forget everything you knew about folklore heroes! They’re back, and they’ve been completely rebooted. Want to see a Tsar who’s worried not about dragons, but about his subjects leaving to earn money? Or the Tsar’s daughter, Mariuca, who chooses fashionable looks using artificial intelligence? Or perhaps the perennial villain Baba Cloanța, who no longer wastes time searching for rare roots for potions because she’s busy with a real estate business plan. For the diaspora, by the way.
In our “united magical universe,” the heroes of Moldovan fairy tales face the same problems we do. While boyars wear checkered bags, princesses argue with their fathers about “vibe looks,” and Pacală and Tândale are slowly becoming masters of pranks and hype, the hero Ionel proves that a true heroic deed doesn’t require an ancient sword. All it takes is a loyal friend and a kind heart.
This is a hilarious play for both adults and children. It combines magic with the TikTok era, and adult-friendly humor with the magic that captivates children.
But instead of the HR department, he finds himself in the royal palace, where the Tsar is playing on a console, Boyar Shkyopu is looking for a wife, and the Fierce Serpent has become so brazen that he doesn’t fly, but simply walks.
To secure the promised privileges and the hand of Princess Mariuka, our hero will have to accomplish the impossible: meet a talking Wolf, go on a date with Bug-Eyed Likho (who, it turns out, kisses!), and meet Baba Kloantsya, who, instead of brewing a potion, is drawing up a real estate business plan.
And all these adventures are commented on by the famous heroes of Moldovan fairy tales, the eternal cunning friends Păcală and Tândale!
PRODUCTION GROUP
Director: Roman Malai
Autorul scenariului: Iacob Gribinenco
Scenography: Milen Chelea
Costume designer: Ecaterina Salimova
Mask sculptor: Alexandr Medinschi
Muzic: Ilia Vivici
Stage combat: Iacob Gribinenco
Choreographer: Ștefan Isac
DISTRIBUTION
Ionel – Iacob Gribinenco
Mariuca – Ana Goreacica / Ecaterina Brausova
Lupul Ilieș – Ghenadii Boiarchin
Mama lui Ionel, Soția Balaurului Fioros – Olga Madan
Împăratul – Arcel Ioseliani
Boierul Șchiopu – Piotr Peicev
Holbăciune-Spurcăciune, Lupoaica Doina – Inna Honenco
Baba Cloanța – Natalia Cornigruța
Păcală – Nicolae Nezlucenco
Tândală – Denis Perev
Balaur Fioros – Stanislav Baboglo
Assistant director: Liubovi Danalachi / Denis Perev / Igor Bostanica
























