CITIZEN
One of the most cherished stories of all time, The Little Prince, lands on the Chemainus Theatre Festival stage this summer for families to enjoy from July 14 to Aug 5.
This year sees the 75th anniversary of this fanciful tale.
Originally published as a novella in 1943, The Little Prince was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a pioneering aviator, after he escaped the fall of France in the Second World War. It is thought to be inspired, in part, by his own experience of being stranded in the Sahara Desert in the 1930s.
When a pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert, he meets a young prince from a distant planet. The Little Prince recounts his adventurous explorations and the wondrous creatures he has met.
All of this sounds like child’s play and fantasy, but it can be argued that the story is indeed woven with riddles and poetic metaphor including good seeds, bad seeds, a search for sheep, and a philosophical consideration of thorny flowers. Together, the pilot and the prince discover what it means to be unique and what it means to truly love.
The Little Prince reminds us “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye,” inspiring us to explore the world through the eyes of our own inner child. This cherished classic illustrates for us that personal growth requires active exploration of the world around us.
In addition to selling over 200 million copies of the book to date, The Little Prince has also been adapted as an animated film, which became the most successful French animated film of all time to be circulated abroad.
The Little Prince continues to be a family favourite and although it may have been written for young children, its themes of friendship, authenticity, and charity resonate with deeper meaning to all ages. The tale is a spirited celebration of wide-eyed childhood adventures and the authenticity of children’s unjaded wisdom.
Adapted for the stage by Roderick Glanville, the cast of The Little Prince is Madeleine Humeny as Little Prince and David Radford as The Pilot and Others.
Matinee shows for all ages run July 14 through Aug. 5.
For tickets call the Box Office at 1-800-565-7738 or at chemainustheatre.ca