The second-most translated book in the world after The Bible, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, is coming to life in Nicosia through a musical theatre adaptation by The Broadway Entertainment Group.
Having garnered universal acclaim, after touring in cities such as Paris, New York and Sydney, The Little Prince’s troupe lands at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre (not the Sahara Desert!) for three days of world-class entertainment for old and young alike.
In an interview with in-cyprus, Chris Mouron and Anne Tournié who adapted the story, as well as directed and arranged the choreography for the play, say that The Little Prince’s theme of humanity is “universal in the truest sense of the word” and is “even more relevant today than in the past.”
Through the performance, they state that their aim is to transmit their love for the book to the audience and help “grown-ups regain their children’s hearts”.
The Little Prince is a beloved and timeless story. What drew you to adapt it for the stage?
Chris Mouron: First of all, the love we both have for this book and for the emotion it brought us. When I suggested to Anne Tournié the idea of adapting the masterpiece that is The Little Prince into a staged piece, she immediately imagined the choreography: A Little Prince flying from one planet to another with aerial acrobats, a Lamp Lighter swaying on a flying pole, contemporary dancers as the Rose and the Aviator, a Vain man expressing himself through break dance and parkour, a King performing classical dance, etc. All types of dance and acrobats (both aerial and terrestrial) could be represented.
In addition, Anne has always loved mixing acrobatics with dance. Antoine de Saint- Exupéry has not only marked the imagination of his countless readers with the power of his words, but he also makes us travel with the power of his simple drawings. The talent of the video designer Marie Jumelin completed our immersive work in adapting the book.
The production has had successful runs in prestigious venues abroad. What elements do you think have contributed to its appeal across different cultures and locations?
Chris Mouron: The book is a masterpiece. It is universal in the truest sense of the word because it is deeply human and is for all of humanity. Our cast is international as is our audience. We are also convinced that this deep humanity, this simple, clear message that has already gone around the world is even more relevant today than in the past. Saint-Exupéry was a visionary. The miracle of this universal story is that we get the same reactions from the public! Whether in Sydney or Paris, Dubai or soon Nicosia.
The Little Prince is known for its philosophical themes. How did you balance these aspects of the story in the stage adaptation?
Anne Tournié: Chris Mouron and I had the same goal in the creation of this show: Respect above all this masterpiece, recreate this emotion, give it back and let free and intact the dream and imagination of each spectator.
We quickly understood that all the designers and producers who surrounded us were driven by the same respect and the same emotion. As artists, we are often ‘transmitting dreams’ and ‘transmitting passion’. Passing on this passion to the ‘Little Prince of today’ and helping grown-ups regain their children’s hearts would be our greatest joy.
How did you approach creating movement and dance sequences to bring the cosmic world of The Little Prince to life on stage?
Anne Tournié: I worked a lot on my own to find this body language. For me, every movement has to have a meaning and ground acrobatics, aerial acrobatics and contemporary dance are all part of the same language. Each performer worked a lot to incorporate their character in the act. I observed each of them to extract the linguistic essence of their bodies.
What was the collaborative process like to bring this adaptation to life, especially in working with the creative team to envision the set design and visual elements for the stage?
We started with the music with Terry Truck. The music and the text were the foundation of our show. The text is magnificent. The music had to be too. Then Anne began to develop all her extraordinary choreographic work on her own before working with the artists. Marie Jumelin, who created all the videos, is the fourth pillar of the creation. The video is alive. It is not static but animated. The quality of the projection makes one feel immersed in a totally real setting. And this feeling is even stronger with the projection being everywhere: on the ground as well as in the background.
The original illustration of Saint-Exupéry made the Little Prince an identifiable and recognisable character by all. Peggy Housset, our costume designer, translates the personality of the characters while retaining this feeling of drawing. By the materials she represents paper. Most of the fabrics are dyed manually to preserve the feeling of a colouring book. The inspiration for the hair and makeup designs also came from children’s books and colouring books. The character of Vainman Carmen Arbues, our make-up designer, was inspired by The Mad Hatter by Tim Burton. For the Fox, she made minimalist fox makeup and a wig in the rockabilly style to give him a funny side. The personalities of the characters were enhanced with make-up and hair as if drawn with a pencil.
Performances: Friday, November 17 (8 p.m.), Saturday, November 18 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, November 19 (6:30 p.m.) at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre.
Tickets are available at Stephanis stores, at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre box office (Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.) and at soldoutticketbox.com.
