Original novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Translation,
script, songs and music by Judith Clingan. Directed by Rohan Vicars and Judith
Clingan. Music direction Judith Clingan. Wayfarers Australia. Tuggeranong Arts
Centre. Wed Dec 20 at 7pm. Thurs-Fri Dec 21-22 at 2pm. Tickets https://www.trybooking.com/STMQ
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| Photo - Peter Hislop |
This version of The Little Prince is a perceptive treatment
of Antoine de Saint Exupery’s strange and surreal tale, supported by the intuitive
music of Judith Clingan. A large cast of children, adults, puppets (by Raphaela Mazzone) and young people
brings a particular kind of magic to the story of the Prince (Siggy Nock) who
lives on a tiny planet. His views of the universe at first seem challenging and
somewhat strange.
The Prince’s only company appears to be the Rose (Ellen
Brown), a gorgeous flower that he tends with as much care as he removes
invasive growths.
The crash of the Aviator (Rohan Vicars) on that planet and a
rift with the Rose sends the Prince off on an exploration of other planets (including
Earth) and they and their inhabitants are in their own ways as strange as his. There’s
one where a King (Chris Nock) seems to rule no subjects. There’s another where
a Vain Man (Ian Parker) seems locked into an eternal selfie, and yet another
where a Drunkard (Gill Christie) is imprisoned in a cycle of alcohol. The
Businessman (William Luby) counts and logs and puts a price on the stars rather
than truly see them. The Lamplighter (Jem Nock) struggles to do his job on a
planet with frequent sunsets. The Geographer (Henry Polotnianka) records natural
features but does not join the Explorer (Minnie [Yen-Ling] Lin)) who
enthusiastically reports on them. The Small Flower (Thea Nock) gives the Prince
valuable insights into the world of flowers and of the Rose. The Shopgirls (Ruby
Wildermuth and Hayley Robins) offer to sell him an artificial alternative to
water. And the Railway Switchman (Meka Cian Rakhmat) is oblivious to the wonder
of the children who marvel at what they see from the train windows.
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| Photo - Peter Hislop |
The Aviator also draws pictures and the Young Aviator (Tom Howieson)
and his teachers ( Margot Baker and Hayley Robins) show how hard it can be to
retain the vision of a child. And
the little fable of the Turkish (Meka Cian Rakhmat) and European (Marcel Cole
and Noah Aziz-Parker) Astronomers raises the question of just who is allowed to
make discoveries.
Standing out in great company are Ellen Brown’s clear voiced
Rose, Ginny Hicks’ sinister and minimalist Snake and Marcel Cole as the Fox who
longs so winningly to be tamed. And as the Little Prince himself Siggy Nock has
presence and charm and a costume and hairdo that are just right.
The compact raked Tuggeranong Theatre suits this spare show
very well. The shadowy orchestra under Clingan’s sensitive direction rim the
front of the audience banks. Musicians slip out of role on stage to
unobtrusively join the orchestra, and then slip back on stage again. Singers materialise
in the darkness behind audience in the theatre’s two tiny balconies.
This is a splendid version of a classic that talks about the
value of things, relationships, resources, water. The puppetry from the Fox
and the Rose and the Snake to the plane flight that opens the tale is ingenious. The staging
is impeccable, the acting leavened with a touch of humour and the voices true. One
has the feeling that Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s story is in the best of hands.
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| Photo - Peter Hislop |
Alanna Maclean