Theatre | The Little Prince | Hampstead Theatre

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

The Review - THEATRE by JOANNA BEDFORD
Published: 18 December 2008

Prince’s courageous journey from the page to the stage

THE LITTLE PRINCE
Hampstead Theatre

MAGIC and music abound for the Hampstead Theatre’s adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s phenomenally popular The Little Prince.
This is a courageous and imaginative production, brought beautifully from page to stage by artistic director Tony Clark and his creative team.
As we follow the Little Prince (Jade Williams) on his interplanetary adventures, we come into contact with the various quirky individuals he meets on his journey to Earth and the plot takes the form of a string of character sketches.
Plucky performances from Julie-Alanah Brighten and Christopher Staines, who shared eight characters between them, provided plenty of entertainment. My personal favourite was Christopher Staines’s Conceited Man, who only responded to praise and commanded the audience to clap whenever he removed his hat. In a clever twist, the joke was turned on us as we turned into performing seals clapping our fins to order.
Musically, this four-hander was a triumph. Although some of Mark Vibrans’s rich melodies, like the prince’s high-pitched giggles, were a touch overblown, they generally enhanced the storytelling magnificently and the four cast members were confident singers, holding their own alongside Richard John’s tinkling ivories.
Equally impressive were Jessica Curtis’s Blue Peter-esque set designs, complete with rose-studded umbrellas, fairy lights and a polystyrene Asteroid.
Their makeshift appeal was entirely suited to the simplistic enchantment of Saint-Exupéry’s fable.
The only slight problem with the show was its over-arching quaintness – more childish than the child-friendly – and the lack of a truly absorbing plot meant the little fidgets could not be kept at bay.
There was just a little too much crude morality for the adults to cope with in one sitting – after the fifth rendition of “grown-ups are so strange” I wanted to cry.
Until January 10
020 7722 93001

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

» A-Z of Theatre
» Local Reviews
» Local Listings
» West End Reviews
» West End Listings
» Theatre Tickets
» Theatre & Hotel Packages