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| Lionel Zalachas as The Little Prince. |
Adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s novella. - Directed and choreographed by Anne Tournie.
Adaption and Co-direction by Chris Mouron. - Original music by Terry Truck.
Sydney Coliseum Theatre, Rooty Hill, until 23rd January 2022.
Matinee
performance on 8th January reviewed by Bill Stephens
The Narrator (Chris Mouron) - Lionel Zalachas (The Little Prince)
Antoine de
Saint-Exupery’s novella about a young Prince who visits various planets
including earth, in search of answers to questions about human nature with its
themes of loneliness, friendship, love and loss has been a magnet for creatives
since it was first published in 1943.
It’s inspired plays, films, ballets, even
puppet shows, but this latest lavish interpretation, currently enjoying a
return Sydney season in the magnificent new Coliseum Theatre in Rooty Hill, is
probably the first to combine circus arts, dance and cutting edge technology in
an effort to visualise the abstract concepts inherent in the book.
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| Lionel Zalachas (The Little Prince) - Dylan Barone (The Fox) |
All the
characters are there. The Aviator, the Rose, the Vain Man, the Drunkard, the
Businessman, the Lamplighter, the Snake, the Fox, all interpreted by skilled
acrobats and immersed in surreal imagery . The Lamplighter swings precariously
from a lamppost. Computer numerals constantly hurtle around the Businessman,
and the Vain Man performs in a world awash with images of handsome males. Each
character has its own environment, and thanks to the spectacular immersive digital
designs which flood the huge backscreen and stage, each environment is quite
wonderful, enhanced as they are by Terry
Trucks superbly atmospheric soundscapes.
Apart from
the Narrator, none of the other characters speak. Instead the Narrator, played
by the Associate Director and Librettist, Chris Mouron, wanders through the
proceedings, sometimes singing, but usually speaking in charming French
accented English, quoting abstractions from the original novel. For those
unfamiliar with the novel, very few of these quotes offer any assistance towards
understanding the purpose of the various characters.
The performers,
all of whom appear to be skilled acrobats, are required to convey their
feelings and emotions through a mix of dance, aerial acrobatics and movement.
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| Laurisse Sulty (The Rose) - Lionel Zalachas (The Little Prince) |
This creates
something of a barrier for the performers however, because while their various
apparatus are useful for creating arresting visual effects, they are not
particularly useful for expressing emotion, creating an impression that the performer’s
physical virtuosity is compromised by the need to perform explanatory
choreography. This was particularly noticeable in the performances of Antony
Cesar’s Vain Man and Srilata Ray’s Snake, both of whom were obviously dynamic
performers bursting for the opportunity to break out of the confinements of
their roles.
Tournie’s
quirky choreography worked best in the ensemble numbers, particularly the delightful “Draw me a Sheep”, “The Ballet
of the Lights”, “The Ballet of the Roses”, but most especially in the charming
sequence in which The Fox (Dylan Barone)
pleads with The Little Prince (Lionel Zalachas) to tame him.
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| The Ballet of the Roses. |
It’s been
noted that the fantasy of The Little Prince works because the logic of the
story is based on the imagination of children rather than the stark realism of
adults.
This being
so then the children at this performance must have been in raptures, having
their imaginations overstimulated by the continuous spectacle offered by this production
which is scheduled to move on to Broadway following this short season at The
Coliseum.
Photos: Prudence Upton.
This Review first published in the digital Edition of CITY NEWS on 10.01. 22.