The Little Prince
Broadway Entertainment Group presents this immersive, grand-scale adaptation of Antoine de Saint- Exupéry's much loved children's book, bringing to life the cosmic world of an aviator (Aurelien Bednarek) lost in the desert. According to the website’s description, he then meets the Little Prince (played by Dylan Barone) who has flown from one planet to another in search of a sheep.
This is one of those adaptations where I'd definitely recommend reading the book before seeing it on stage, as I struggled to follow the storyline having no prior knowledge. The main reason for this is the structure - which is more a compilation of characters rather than a particularly discernible plot.
These friends (or foe, I'm still not quite sure) are portrayed by a phenomenal troupe of performers who cannot be labelled as simply one thing. Naturally, any live theatre piece has an absolute mammoth of a team behind it, however, it is not just the creatives and crew that deserve a long list of titles to describe their talent for The Little Prince. The dance artists that take us through this 2 hour piece are also circus masters, gymnasts, contortionists, aerialists, actors, and vocalists!
They do, however, seem slightly more gifted than we get to experience, as they are confined to choreography and direction (by Anne Tournié’s) that seems intentionally underwhelming at times. Hoops, silks, and full blown planets make multiple appearances yet the most they tend to do is go up and down, or from one side of the stage to the other. It seems like a case of ‘including skills for the sake of showing off’ rather than adding anything meaningful to the production. Within this, however, are woven bold moments of spectacle that highlight why some audiences may love the show so much.
These elements are what make you want to believe that this production really could be seen as the Pinnacle of multidisciplinary art, however, it really is all in the production value. As much as I wanted to be completely enthralled, it was only engaging on a superficial level because none of the content was substantial enough to keep me fully engaged. I spent more of my time confused as you had to choose between watching the surtitles or the possibly brilliant work unfolding in front of me. Oh, yes - it’s all in French!
Lots of floor work meant you missed what little information you were being given on the caption screen hanging above the stage, despite there being a live and audible narrator whose sole responsibility was exposition.
Pieces more reliant on physical movement instead of spoken word are typically more accessible to a range of audiences, however, this show seemed to make it equally as inaccessible to every demographic instead, with both native English and French audience members reliant on the programmed translations due to the nature of the dialect.
For example, Marie Jumelin’s video design for the all-encompassing projections were not at the standard you'd expect for a show of this renown, and it was noticeably less impressive than its technical counterparts, as many other departments stood out for their top quality work. Stéphane Frisch’s lighting design and Terry Truck’s musical compositions for instance. Similarly, those on stage demonstrate World-Class talent with clear international influences.
This show is a true lesson in that bigger does not always equal better, however the cast still put on a splendid performance and made the material work to the absolute best of their ability.
This show was reviewed on the 12th March 2025 at the London Coliseum where it runs until the 16th March 2025. Tickets available here: Home | London Coliseum
Review written by Katie Anna McConnell
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Photo credit : Broadway Entertainment Group
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