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‘The Little Prince’ @ 7 Stages
THEATER REVIEW. “The Little Prince.” Grade: D+ 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 26. $15-$20. 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-523-7647, 7stages.org. Bottom line: We don’t get it.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert and soon encounters a pint-size traveler with a corona of golden curls. Claiming to be from a tiny faraway planet, the Little Prince prattles on about roses and sheep, stars and volcanoes — and describes his random adventures with a king, a geographer and a fox.
First published in 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” reads like a whimsical answer to the author’s French existentialist contemporaries Camus and Sartre. But while the nihilists espouse bleakness and despair, the Little Prince comes to realize that the essence of life is found in the heart.
Saint-Exupery’s charming line drawings and sweetly sentimental philosophy have captivated generations of readers, including 7 Stages artistic director Del Hamilton (gasp!). Though better known as a hard-boiled aficionado of Albee, Beckett and Sam Shepard, Hamilton confesses a soft spot for the tale of the stranded aviator and the wee wanderer. So this explains why his edgy, experimental theater has chosen to produce Rick Commins and John Scoullar’s stage treatment of the family classic.
Though I was looking forward to what director Hamilton and company might bring to this unexpected programming choice, I couldn’t wait for the whiny Little Prince to return to whatever strange planet he fell from. Poorly designed, executed and cast, the show’s magic is indeed petite and discreet. Dime-store Plato.
Performed on a mound-shaped set meant to suggest the undulating sands of the Sahara and the curvy contours of the various planets the Little Prince visits, the play boasts some fine character work by the delightful Doc Waller (as the fox, the geographer, etc.) and a likable enough performance by John Benzinger (as the aviator).
But Portia Cue, who plays the lead, manages to be both physically energetic and metaphysically leaden. Speaking in a nasal monotone and a hodgepodge of accents, this banal little fellow is more annoying than chipper, and I suspect that viewers of all ages will be hard-pressed to fathom the mysteries of this waifish and androgynous Don Quixote wannabe.
My colleague and I left the theater scratching our heads and wondering what it all meant and why we should care. With its talking flowers, precious musings and biblical allusions, “The Little Prince” is a big old bore.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Theater
Comments
By Seth Christenfeld
October 3, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
Cummins and Scoullar have written both a play and a musical based on the source material—which one is this?
By Wendell Brock
October 3, 2008 4:00 PM | Link to this
It’s the play — Wendell Brock
By Madame Mary D.
October 5, 2008 8:01 PM | Link to this
As a French teacher who has taught this wonderful story of “Le Petit Priince” for over 20 years, and read and seen many interpretations, I was delighted with this production. I found it very faithful to St Exupery’s timeless tale, entertaining for children and adults. The acting was marvelous and held us captive for the one and a half hours. I’d recommend every French teacher to take their students to this. The play is faithful to the original story and captures the universal messages well. It would be better to read the book first, If you haven’t , you’re in for a treat! Don’t believe every bad review you read and give it a chance!