Minnesota Fringe Festival 2010

A pilot stranded in the desert encounters a boy claiming to be from another planet. Colorful characters and existential questions abound in this French masterpiece. Backed by live music.

A new stage adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's masterpiece.

Why do grown-ups never understand anything by themselves?
How come children should always and forever explain things to them?

The story's author is legendary French writer and daring aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The play opens in New York City during World War II. We encounter Saint-Exupéry there. He is exiled from Nazi-occupied France and working on his manuscript. A friendly newsboy encourages Saint-Exupery to recount his adventures in the Saharan desert where he had his mysterious encounter with the Little Prince.
The play then shifts to the desert sands and the existential contemplations inspired by the Little Prince's stories of his own adventures to other planets. Among the questions that arise: Is loneliness inevitable? Dare we hope for friendship
that is true? What is most essential in life?

Antoine de Saint-Exupery's masterpiece should hold appeal for those interested in French culture and in the true gems of world literature. The play is a must-see for those interested in the deeper workings of human relations - the psychology behind the "miracle of friendship" and for those who are self-reflective and carry contemplations regarding the meaning of life.
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Performed by a talented, savvy cast of children and adult actors. The youth members of the cast are accomplished Harmony's acting students, who are veterans of the Minnesota Fringe Festival having appeared last year in Harmony Theatre's production: The Sleuth Sisters.

The Little Prince promises an intellectually and emotionally satisfying experience
to its audiences - both young and old.

Guiding the production through its imaginative journeys will be a group of musicians playing
live music inspired by Mozart’s Fantasy in Dm and creating a sumptuous soundtrack to the drama.

User reviews

Kids were awesome!!!
by Anna Gusovsky Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
We loved the show! It was very impressive to see kids play. The Prince was absolutely great! I was touched many times throughout the show.
Look forward to see more plays by this company!

Kids loved it - I liked it....
by Scott Gilbert Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I would have rated it a 3, but my kids really enjoyed the production so I boosted it a kitty. Loved the simple set and the fact that they had the airplane onstage. Special kudos to James Eckert who did a fabulous job with his two roles.

Loss to the unheard.
by Nick n Rosie Heille Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The actors in "The Little Prince", both young and old, had great stage presence. The characters were real. It was a pleasure to watch their expressions, and attentiveness to, one another. It was a shame though that their words were lost in the theater's house space. When the House Manger had to ask the audience to: "Please move closer to the stage so you can hear the play.", before the show, it seems the Harmony Theater Company and School should have decided to do the play down stage, even in front of the stage's curtain, to be nearer the audience, were they could be heard. How the Theater's space was used, was a serious oversight, in an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Commendable
by Becky Lynne Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I liked the show. The kids did an amazing job for their age.

The Little Prince Show
by Natalia Kutsenok Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I thought the 'The Little Prince' was amazing!! Very creative and funny, at most points of the play. But I absolutely enjoyed watching the children do their parts and was shocked to see how well they did them, and how they memorized all their lines! All in all, though, the children were all adorable and wonderful, Loved It!!

Amazing!!!
by Jane Shkolnik Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I really enjoyed the show.The cast put so much work and creativity in it. Costumes are very impressive. I am so proud of children, they are so talented.Thank you, and good luck!

The Little Prince
by Sharon Roth Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Perhaps the reason Ms. Kadlin couldn't hear any children sing was because NO ONE sings in this play! Her comments make me wonder if she was even there. The children in the play are to be commended especially the little prince as she had so many lines to memorize. The adults are wonderful and the original music supports their performances.

AWESOME!!
by julia shkolnik Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Wonderful performance!! Highly recommend it!!

must see!!
by Caroline Nelson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I came to see the show because "The Little Prince" is one of my favorite stories and I wanted my children to see a play based on the story. They both (10 and 13 year-olds) liked it. It's quite unique to see actors who are that young (pre-teens!) at a Fringe show and I thought that the children were very well coached and acted quite professional in a great ensemble with adults.
I thought it was remarkable that the cast is multi-generational for this story since it is about child-adult relations.
I also join compliments about live music, costumes, the program; the plane looked interesting as well. Overall, thank you very much - this was a great show!

Very well done!
by david spencer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I attended this play on Sunday and wasn't planning to do a review but saw Ms. Vandal's review and had to comment.

The play was very well done and perhaps if Ms. Vandal had read either the comments below or the program she would have known that the play was based on the french book.

My wife and I thought the play was faithful to the book. It was very well acted by what must be the youngest troupe the fringe has ever seen!

Best wishes and don't listen to the uninformed reviewers!

The Little Prince
by Carole Vandal Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
The Little Prince plot sounded interesting at a glance. I enjoy live music, beings from other planets, children and masterpieces. While the plot sounded enticing, the story did not move me as I struggled to stay entertained. As a side note, the boy who played the little prince was commendable.

However,this play left me stranded in the desert alongside the pilot and his plane. A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Go to see it!!!
by Irena Salgan Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Harmony's actors did a wonderful job with beautiful tunes and unusual musical instruments (domra and balalaika). Children actors performed on the same level as adults - great acting, interesting characters!

"The Little Prince" was wonderful!
by Irina Paley Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
A wonderful performance - very touching... Thanks a lot all of you - children and adults.

Amazing - Must See!!
by Robert Carr Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
We hadn't heard much about this show in advance. But read the reviews here and decided to take a chance.

We were absolutely amazed by the child who performed as the prince! Such a big part for such a little one! Some of the other kid performers were a bit hard to hear at times but the music was beautiful and the adult performers were wonderful with the children.

We took our young children who enjoyed the show but maybe didn't understand its message. Very good and expect to see much more out of the young lead in the future. Go see this!

Impressive memorization/instruments!
by Gabriel Heller Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This show gets the most unique instrumental ensemble award. Get your clarinet and balalaika fix here! It also gets the most lines memorized by children under 10 award. It ALSO gets the most faithful adaptation of a classic children's book award. AND the most entertaining program award (including word-searches, a crossword, and all kinds of historical information) That's enough to earn it 4 kitties in my book. Bear in mind, however, that it takes an exceptional child actor to equal a mediocre teenage one. Don't expect great acting at a fringe show where half the cast is children; you will be disappointed. Also, my wife fell asleep. We both agreed the girl playing the Rose was excellent; if so young as to be still hard to even understand. Even so, it was at least ten times better than your average grade-school pageant. The costuming was professional-grade, the lighting hauntingly beautiful. Little Prince fans will not be disappointed.

Great show!
by Kelly Svenson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
what a beautiful story! live music was great, I especially enjoyed the violin; great emotions, interesting characters (vain man, the king); the program is very educational = nice job!

Read it, see it, bring the children
by Ken Goodman Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
You can enjoy the show without reading the book, but you'll understand it better if you do read it before or after the performance. I agree that it does help to sit close to hear the children better. This is a play that I highly recommend for children & their parents to see together and discuss. Isn't the king on PBS commercials?

The Little prince this is amazing show!
by Boris Salgan Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The Little prince this is amazing show!
I enjoyed the play very much,all actors were wonderful!!
Thanks for all Harmony's actors, students and teachers!
Boris Salgan

beautiful story-amazing performance!
by Maria Kouznetsova Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I really enjoyed this play- it has everything in it (the story, actors- children and adults, music, humor and drama...) to let you pause, forget about everyday little annoying problems, and savor transforming influence of the true art of the theater. Thank you, Harmony Theatre! I will be looking forward for you next productions!

A Wonderful Play!
by James Johnson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
What a wonderful play - I took my 3 children (ages 9-12) and we truly enjoyed it. Sit close as the voices of some of the smaller kids are hard to hear, but worth every moment! The scenes between the adult and child lead were at times breathtaking - encourage you to go!

Refreshing show - but sit close
by Dan Halsey Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This was a nice show with a good mix of child and adult actors. As an earlier reviewer mentioned, sit close because the Rose and paperboy are a bit hard to hear from several rows back. The child who played the Little Prince did a remarkable job - I expect to see her in future productions. The interactions between the Little Prince and the gentleman who played Saint Exupery were touching -- and very true to the story I remember. We took my two boys - ages 6 & 9 -- and both knew the story. I think it might be hard to understand for kids who don't know the story (kinda existential). Live music was a plus.

Responsible for your rose
by Dave Romm Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
A for Effort, especially the five year old (?) playing the Little Prince, and the costumes. But the show felt more like a kindergarden presentation (with a few grownups) that only a parent would love. Rounded up for the live music. A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Longer reviews with pictures at Baron Dave's LiveJournal and snarky comments on Facebook.

the little prince
by bob mann Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I enjoyed the play very much,the actors were very good,and believable. The content was well presented by the playwright and followed the original version. The two lead actors were the the binding
performances that made it work. Well done.Bob.

Sit in front
by Waverley Street Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I thought that the space was too big for some of the smaller voices. As a result, there were a few scenes I couldn't hear. My child hadn't read the book and had a hard time following the story. However, there are many very sweet moments such as the scenes with the Rose and between the Little Prince and the Star-Counter. The live music enhanced the mood well.

Also, kudos for the excellent program with lots of great information and even some puzzles for the kids!

the little prince
by sylvia mann Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The play was very enjoyed! The acting of the little prince done by Ella Dolynchuk was extraordinary. The lines, the acting was superb and would love to see her in future plays. Overall, the older actors did a great job. Everyone , young and old should take an hour off in the next week to see this play. Script was well done. Many BRAVOS. I personally am considering seeing it this Sunday as well.

The Little Prince
by daron dolynchuk Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Loved the show!!! The child actors are amazing and interact so well with the adult actors. The script was well written and very touching!! Congratulations on a fabulous show!!!