It’s been 75 years since Antoine de Saint-Exupéry introduced the world to his little prince, and yet the story is as relevant as ever.
This week at the Athenaeum, audiences can see the magnificent tale of friendship, loneliness, love and loss in The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) come to life with the help of shadow puppetry and Japanese Bunraku puppetry.
Through her shadow puppetry, Chirstelle van Graan magically presents the story of the little alien prince who ventures through our world as he explores and learns about the nature of adult behaviour and relationships.
The shadow puppetry gives the audience a real-life presentation of de Saint-Exupéry’s iconic images, and with a little imagination one might think one has jumped into his book.
Nieke Lombard brings the Little Prince to life on stage with Japanese Bunraku puppetry, adding another layer of storytelling to this classic tale.
Saint-Exupéry never depicted the pilot in his book and in this production Caitlin Salgado portrays the first female pilot in this iconic role, performing next to Lombard as they take the audience on a journey with the Little Prince.
The mini-musical also features original music and lyrics by Wessel Odendaal and was adapted and directed by Elizma Badenhorst
The 60-minute long show is child-friendly but it reaches out to the heart of adults, allowing de Saint-Exupéry’s exhibition of the oddness of adult behaviour to take centre stage.
The Little Prince is at the Little Theatre at the Athenaeum until Sunday October 14. Tickets are R100 to R120, on sale at Computicket. Inquiries: contact Chireen Fereirra, 083-538-6628, e-mail chireen73@yahoo.com