North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
North Pole - various times
Virtual - various times
The Little Prince at the New Victory Theater: The Classic Tale is Reinvented for NYC Kids
Last weekend, the New Victory Theater kicked off its new season with a show we've really been looking forward to: Bristol Riverside Theatre's beautiful stage adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved children’s novella The Little Prince. This popular tale about a mysterious, planet-hopping boy who comes to Earth and meets a stranded pilot has been adapted many times (including a really trippy 1974 live-action movie musical). But this evocative interpretation really stands out due to its combination of modern technology and Bunraku (Japanese-style) puppetry.
The hour-long show is true to the book, but streamlined a bit. The Aviator (Leonard C. Haas) comes across the Little Prince (a puppet skillfully manipulated by Eileen Cella) and answers his barrage of questions. The royal boy reminisces about his life back home, shares stories of his animal encounters, helps the pilot find water and finally sacrifices himself so his soul can return to his planet. It's abstract and complicated stuff, just like the original story.
The Little Prince has haunted me since I was a child. I shared the book with my son (who's only six) and while he enjoyed it, he took it at face value, but there's a deeper meaning. Yes, at times it seems like the mad rantings of a man hallucinating in the desert, but it also contains amazing insights about love, friendship and human nature. So there's a lot here for both kids and parents to enjoy.
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The style of puppetry in The Little Prince was unlike anything I had ever seen, and that made it really special. (I missed Peter and Wendy at the New Vic last season, which also featured Bunraku puppetry.) The Little Prince isn't a traditional puppet show though; people and puppets share the stage.
The Little Price puppet is almost life-sized, with a large elaborate head. His handler sort of squatted next to him throughout the show. Fox, Rose and Snake were all smaller puppets but animated in the same way, so the visible puppeteers really got to add a lot to their characters.
Five performers bring The Little Prince to life on a mostly bare stage. A small, circular sandbox represents the Sahara Desert, and a luminous screen displays colorful images of space and stars in the background.
My son said that he loved the show, but I can’t say that he sat riveted in his seat for the entire hour. The New Vic recommends the show for kids six and up but I think older is better. I noticed that he and his six-year-old peers got a little fidgety during the slower scenes, while more mature children were watching more intently.
Make sure you leave time to head to the lower lobby level for a The Little Prince display. There's a paper-mache globe, props from the show and information about the book's author, whose crash-landing in the Sahara inspired the tale.
Tickets are still available for all of the remaining performances, and the New Vic is also running a pair of related Bunkaru Puppetry Family Workshops on Saturday, October 15, which are $17 per person.
The Little Prince is playing at the New Victory Theater through Sunday, October 16. Click here for schedule. $14-$38.
Looking for other shows for your little drama queen? We've got the scoop on the best theater for kids this fall.
Photos by Alexsey Photography
Places featured in this article:
The New Victory Theater
