Even if we never see it, our golden sun will dip beneath the horizon thousands of times throughout our lives. Within the vast universe there are countless immutable beauties which exist despite and beyond us, and the reality is that we lose sight of simple pleasures and joys as we grow up, and our flight through the clear skies is blinded by the sandstorms of responsibility, trauma, and inescapable age.
Thus is the plight of a lone pilot in The Little Prince, a children’s novel written in 1946 by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and adapted for the musical stage first in 2003; it was showing at the Royal Theatre, through Pacific Opera Victoria, in late February. The pilot, originally enraptured by the wonders of the natural world, draws a simple picture as a child, which is scorned by his grown-ups. He is chastised and directed to focus on more productive endeavours. Obediently, he works hard toward success but eventually finds himself flying above an infinite, empty desert, beneath searing sun, tossed about by blinding sandstorms. Eventually he is overcome, and crashes into the rolling dunes.
There he meets a little prince, who has journeyed far from the little asteroid he calls home, which is constantly under threat from mighty baobab trees, from which the prince must protect a beautiful rose. Overwhelmed, the prince is challenged by the rose to search the universe to find the wisdom needed to protect her. Upon his journeys to neighbouring planets, he meets several misguided grown-ups, including a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, and a lamplighter, all who are in some way lost amidst the frigid blackness that spans the light years between each little star in the vast universe.
Having learned no wisdom from these fools, the prince journeys onwards, until he lights upon Earth in search of knowledge and understanding. One year later, he happens upon the beleaguered pilot and shares his adventures.
Adapted to the stage by Nicholas Wright, composed by Rachel Portman, and directed by Brenna Corner, The Little Prince is masterfully brought to life by a team of talented artists. The score is performed by the Victoria Symphony and conducted by maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia.
The most stunning aspect of the production is the stage, which, although simplistic in design, uses shifting set elements to portray a wide array of fanciful settings. Thoughtfully designed lighting with beautiful patterns and brilliant, gentle colours transforms a set of wood and paint into myriad imaginary locales. The costume design is equally as spectacular and allows a minimalistic set to be embellished by the imagination. The cast includes several talented actors and singers and is backed up by the Victoria Children’s Choir.
Weary and dehydrated, the pilot listens to the tale of the little prince, who eventually finds a vast garden of beautiful roses. He is discouraged to discover that the stunning rose he left so far away is actually quite ordinary. However, a friendly fox reminds him that genuine friendship is about true connection: anything really worthwhile cannot be seen or touched, only felt by the heart. Although his own rose is not unique, his love for it makes it special.
The pilot, who, throughout his life, had always been searching for something that cannot be seen, had been led astray by the distorted thinking of the grown-ups in his life. Through the little prince, he learns that “anything essential is invisible to the eye.”
Of critical note, many of the prince’s encounters, while brief in the book, are somewhat dragged out by the necessity to sing every syllable. Additionally, some who attend without the benefit of nostalgia may have a difficult time engaging with the narrative simplicity. As adults, sitting through a two-hour long children’s story might be somewhat taxing. However, if there were ever a production to introduce the majesty of opera to children, this is it.
Although a little long, The Little Prince is charming, beautifully brought to life, and makes for a wonderfully fanciful evening, with a wise underlying theme.