The Little Prince

The Little Prince: A Tenuous Reign

Running Time: 1 hr, 30 min

When I was a child, I read Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince over and over. I loved the story's mystery, its innocence, and even its sadness. The Little Prince is a rare book: It's deeply respectful of children's intelligence, it's not cloyingly sweet, and it certainly doesn't represent life with death whitewashed out. It depicts children as small, self-possessed people who harbor a fundamental knowledge forgotten by "the grown-ups" and who must be patient with their larger counterparts. As a child, I found great validation in this perspective.

This classic has since been adapted into a musical, and for those of us who love the original book, the musical adaptation evokes a mixed response; it seems to have retained the beauty of the original only inasmuch as it has used Exupéry's text in its dialogue. The sections that stray from his writing (most noticeably the songs, with lyrics by John Scoullar) leech the complexity and subtlety that make the original text so magical. Lines such as "The time we spent here/Has lessened our fear/Allowed us to hear/This lovely song" are no match for Exupéry's text in the same moment of the narrative: "At sunrise the sand is the color of honey. And that honey color was making me happy, too. What brought me, then, this sense of grief?" This tension that makes the book so special is too often exchanged in the musical for language that is cheery and precious.

Thankfully, however, most of the script is drawn directly from the book, and there are some lovely moments in the production directed by Scott Kanoff for the State Theater Company. The cast does a fine job of bringing to life Exupéry's unusual characters. Paulina Reyes imbues the Little Prince with a gentle, inquisitive charm, and her voice is sweet and true; Brian Gaston is dashing and sensitive as the stranded Aviator; and Elizabeth Moliter makes a lovely Rose, as proud, coquettish, and high maintenance as any beloved flower should be. Perhaps the standout, however, is Paul Norton, playing a multitude of contrasting characters in lightning-speed succession. His comic timing and expressive physicality provide the levity needed to advance a narrative dependent more on language than on action.

Still, I found it hard to determine if the musical was intended for children, adults, or both. The original book seems able to gracefully cross the chasm between the two; the musical may leave both audiences dissatisfied. While the script is perhaps too meditative for a small child, the play's songs seem too pat and forced for adults. I peered around at play's end to try to discern reactions from either age group but found it difficult to gather a clear message. Although a few people up front were giving a standing ovation, the 5-year-old sitting behind me had left during intermission, and the woman next to me, unfamiliar with the original, whispered, "Maybe it's better in French." Although I can't speak for the French version, I have to agree that the book I so loved as a child has lost a great deal in its musical translation.