See Also: Script of I Want to be Your Canary

"I'm a big fan of Lord Avon's plays. I have - I mean, I've seen all of them. 'I Want to Be Your Canary' is one of my favorites!"

—Princess Garnet

I Want to be Your Canary is a fictional theater play featured in Final Fantasy IX. It was written by Lord Avon, and tells the story of the romance between a noble and a peasant.

The play is similar to William Shakespeare's King Lear and Romeo and Juliet, with the Hero, Marcus in love with Cornelia, the daughter of his enemy, King Leo. Leo wishes Cornelia to marry Prince Schneider, a man she does not love. Both Cornelia and Marcus end up dying for their love. In the original Japanese version, the king in I Want to Be Your Canary played by Baku is King Lear, which is a direct reference to Shakespeare's character.

Story

The game's heroine, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, and her mother, Queen Brahne, love this play. Due to unforeseen events during the kidnapping of Princess Garnet in Final Fantasy IX, the play's script is partially improvised with Garnet playing the role of Cornelia, initially to be played by Ruby, and Steiner playing the role of Prince Schneider (though he does not realize that he is in the play). Queen Brahne comments that it is the best version of the play she has ever seen.

The young black mage, Vivi, goes to Alexandria to see the play, but is refused entry. He does not realize he has a forged ticket that reads, "I Want to be Your Crow." He later sneaks into the play with Puck by walking on the rooftops.

Impressing the Nobles

During the play, Zidane and Blank have a stage sword-fight that plays like a minigame with the player having to follow with button combos. Depending how well the player does, a number of nobles in the audience are impressed, as well as the queen herself. Later, when the player is in control of Steiner, the player will receive a reward if they talk to the queen. Button pressing accuracy alone is not enough to get 100; speedy button input is required as well.

Musical Themes

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"Tragic Love"
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A number of themes play during I Want to Be Your Canary in Final Fantasy IX: "Tonight" plays when King Leo captures Marcus; "Thy Warmth" plays when Zidane, Garnet and Steiner enter the stage by accident; "Tragic Love" plays during the play, when Garnet, as Cornelia, jumps to Marcus's blade and dies. At the performance in the end of the game "I Want to be Your Canary" plays.

Other Appearances

The play, as well as the "acting troupe", Tantalus, is also mentioned by dancers of the Lifespring Grotto in the Dawn of Souls and Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary and iOS versions of the original Final Fantasy.

Gallery

Artwork of Baku as King Leo from The Art of Final Fantasy IX book.

Artwork of Vivi's fake theater ticket from The Art of Final Fantasy IX book.

Stage for I Want to be Your Canary.

Trivia

• In the ending, one of the lines of the play is "no cloud, no squall shall hinder us". This is an allusion to the protagonists of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart, respectively.