“the performance grabbed the audience’s attention from curtain up“
” It is a delight to share with children. They undoubtedly enjoy being told from the stage that grown-ups are wrong. For us adults, with things as they are, it is what we need right now.”
Veronica Hannon
3.5 /5 stars
The first show of the year always feels a bit special. The adventure of going to a venue you’ve never visited before adds to the excitement. And when the lights go down and a hush falls over the house, it signals the possibility of entering a dream together. And what a dream is played out here. This company packs a lot of heart into the retelling of the beloved tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
The Little Prince was first published during World War Two. You can label it a story for children or adults where a child is a central character or even a war story. I love it for its wonderful strangeness.
The bare bones of the plot are an aviator crashes in the Sahara Desert, meets the titular prince visiting from a distant planet – an asteroid, to be precise. We learn a flock of birds has carried him to Earth and many other worlds. The prince tells the pilot stories of these planets and the people who inhabit them and takes instruction from a talking fox and a sinister snake.
This production, co-directed by Anne Tournié and Chris Mouron, with choreography also by Tournié, brings together graceful dancers and agile acrobats, a compelling narrator, stunning visual design (costumes Peggy Housset, video design Marie Jumelin), and original music by Terry Truck to create an entertainment for all ages.
As The Narrator, Mouron, in charmingly accented English (occasionally French), speaks and sings Saint-ExupĂ©ry’s words while the characters communicate through movement. And they move beautifully. Lionel Zalachas as The Little Prince, Laurisse Sulty as The Rose and Dylan Barone as The Fox are the standouts.
Running at nearly two hours, the performance grabbed the audience’s attention from curtain up. Every scene provoked applause, and even when the show was stopped for 10 minutes (due to a power cut in Rooty Hill), enthusiastic whooping greeted the restart.
This show has a limited season before it heads to Big White Way. It is a delight to share with children. They undoubtedly enjoy being told from the stage that grown-ups are wrong. For us adults, with things as they are, it is what we need right now.
Veronica Hannon, Theatre Now
The Sydney Coliseum, West HQ, Rooty Hill
Until 23 Jan 2022
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