Review: The Little Prince, London Coliseum

If you are in the market for a truly spectacular interpretation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry‘s exquisite book, Le Petit Prince then this is undoubtedly it. Staged at the grand London Coliseum, it is an epic production that fills the huge stage with magic and takes the audience on a shifting, dreamlike and slightly surreal journey through the many locations in the novel.

The show follows the familiar story: an aviator crash lands in the desert and he’s surprised when a young boy appears from nowhere and asks him to draw a sheep. But it’s only when the drawing is of a sheep in the box and the boy can imagine it for himself that he’s happy with it. This is the Little Prince who has travelled far from his home planet, leaving all he owns behind, to find out if there’s a better world by visiting many planets and explore the alternatives.

Performed in French with surtitles, we meet all Saint-Exupéry’s fabulous characters, from the Prince himself to the Rose, the Fox, the Serpent and the many peculiar residents of the planets. With exceptionally talented aerial artists, dancers and video projection, the show is visually impressive: vibrant, delightful staging is made varied and exciting with huge, dynamic video projections.

Dylan Barone as The Little Prince is wonderful, suitably enigmatic and innocent, and his interactions with Bednarek Aurelian, playing the Aviator, are particularly playful and uplifting. The choreography is energetic and interesting, shifting between classic ballet, modern styles and outright gymnastics, as performers flip, lift and sail through the air in moves that will leave you gasping.

The use throughout of Chris Mouron as a narrator is a simple yet effective way to give presence to the book. Acting as a storyteller, she draws the different scenes together, before revealing a powerful and utterly stunning singing voice at the end. And Terry Truck’s fabulous music gives a beautiful shape to the narrative, forming each chapter into a distinct, unique moment.

Really, this is a beautiful, enchanting production. However, I couldn’t help but feel it was a show made for grown-ups – dazzling with literalness and glamour but leaving little for personal imaginative engagement. To actively learn from it as the Prince does, we need some space to imagine the sheep in the box for ourselves. The content of the original tale is all out there on a plate, but the essential lesson that it’s the invisible things in life that truly matter gets rather lost in that abundance and in the celebration of huge talent. Also, at the moment where the Prince decides to leave his Rose behind there is no sense that he’s irritated by his responsibility for looking after her, so we don’t have a reason for him to set off. We see his journey and the encounters that encourage him to learn of the value of what he’s left behind, but the sense of simple innocence and playfulness in Saint-Exupéry’s work is overwhelmed by spectacle.

This is a really topical story, which tells of care for our own planet. It speaks of how sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing but that making the effort is valuable, feeding the soul in a way that things and power cannot. It’s quite simple. And the razzle dazzle leaves that important narrative a little in the shadows. However, if you’re already familiar with that message and are merely seeking a celebration of the book, you certainly won’t go wrong in watching this beautifully crafted piece of work.

Choreography and Direction by: Anne Tournié
Adaptation and Co-direction by: Chris Mouron
Music by: Terry Truck

The Little Prince plays at London Coliseum until Sunday 16 March.