The Little Prince

The Little Prince

Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Music composed by Mark Lowman

Directed by Christine Wick and Tony Cook

Performed by Teign Valley Players

At Teign Valley Community Hall, Christow

 

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye”.

This iconic story has been brought to life by the Teign Valley Players under the direction of Christine Wick and Tony Cook.

In the famous book, written and published in 1943, from whence this play derives, a pilot (The Aviator) is stranded in the midst of the Sahara where he meets a tiny prince from an asteroid B-612, travelling the universe in order to understand life. That is a simple description for a beautiful, almost biblical (in my humble opinion), thought provoking story where we, the watcher, are shown gently and with tenderness, the lessons of real love and responsibility.

Entering the auditorium, the set, designed by Christine Wick and built by the company, was simple yet effective. The upstage cyclorama was a complete projection screen used to super effect throughout to show the drawings of the aviator and his crashed aircraft in the desert, along with starry night skies. With raised staging on three levels, accessed by steps and two sloping ramps dressed and covered by draped and gathered gold and cream material. All painted similarly, as was the flooring of the staged area. Two trucks with painted planets were used to bring on various characters as the performance developed.

The Narrator, who retains his child-hood disdain for grown-ups, is played by an actor whose voice and stage presence held your attention throughout. The Aviator , in his flight jacket and goggles, portrays this grown up, hopelessly narrow-minded man with eloquence and his eventual awakening where he ‘hears the music of the sunset’ is emotionally acted.

The directors knew they needed to find an actor with substance to portray the Little Prince and they did just that with Rosie Nelson. Dressed all in green with a yellow scarf she brought this part to life. Representing the open-mindedness of children, this was an innocent, naïve and moving portrayal of his love for The Rose, frustration with The Aviator and taming of another creature, namely The Fox. The Fox acted her part well and looked remarkably foxlike with gorgeous ears and tail and a cleverly painted face. The Rose dressed all in black with a gorgeous pink and black head-piece, was captivating and The Desert Flower was equally lovely and cheeky too, giggling away especially when joined by the Rose Wall.

As The Little Prince jumps from planet to planet he meets various characters, all of which show him how responsibility and close-mindedness are the traits of adults. Each arriving on a painted stage truck, either stage left or stage right. The King, with the need to bark orders,The Conceited Man, who needs to know he is admired and is ‘the handsomest and best dressed’ in his world. The Alcoholic was amusing yet sad, ashamed as he drinks to forget, along with his portrayal of The Lamp-lighter whose purpose was to take orders yet showed great annoyance in having to do so! The Business Man who ‘can’t stop’ and is ‘too busy’, perfectly abrupt as she counts the stars she owns along with  the Geographer, in his cap and gown, the academic who really feels he is important but has no real purpose. The Snake writhing and slithering is delightfully threatening as she tells The Prince “Whoever I touch I send back to the earth from whence they came”.

These characters make you think hard about life choices and how the responsibility demanded by our relationships with others can lead to a greater understanding yet do we lose something in return. Do we see ourselves in these individuals? Are we The Merchant, selling pills that mean you don’t have to drink water for a week, saving time, or The Signalman who states “No-one is ever satisfied where they are” and “it’s only the children who know what they are looking for”.

An added touch of excellence was the music accompanying the dialogue, uniquely written for this production by a local composer, Mark Lowman. Ethereal and haunting with a specific underscore for the sunset and characters, this was exceptional and beautiful, adding a special feel to this production. How lucky to have such local talent in our midst.

The lighting and sound worked well and the projection showing filmed computer animation of the drawings of The Aviator were very clever and it felt like we, the audience, were looking over the shoulder of the actor as he drew. Clever props such as the small crystal beads used to represent the water in the well as the actors drank from it, simple yet creative.

Sympathetically adapted, this wonderful adventure was performed so well by this group of actors and I am sure, gave many of the audience food for thought as they left their seats. It was a touching and evocative delightful evening of theatre and I congratulate the directors for choosing The Little Prince for this year’s production.

 

Lyn Burgoyne (Noda representative -Mid and East Devon)

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