Protein Dance in Luca Silvestrini’s The Little Prince
This years Christmas family show at The Place in London is based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s fantastical book about an extraterrestrial…
Protein Dance in ‘The Little Prince’. © Jane Hobson
Protein Dance / Luca Silvestrini
The Little Prince
★★★✰✰
London, The Place
21 December 2024, matinee
proteindance.co.uk
theplace.org.uk
The Little Prince is a children’s book written by French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry during the darkness of the Second World War while in exile in the United States. It is a fantastical book, partly based on his own life, with observations on human nature and huge flights of fancy.
The book’s narrator is a pilot who has crash-landed in the Sahara and encountered a young extraterrestrial boy, aka The Little Prince, originally from Asteroid B 612. The Prince recounts his exploits since becoming dissatisfied with home, touring the solar system and meeting various odd (“unenlightened”) individuals, followed by his experiences in the desert, notably with a snake and a fox who acts as something of a mentor. After wandering and learning, the Prince longs for home, to which his spirit eventually returns, just as the pilot fixes his aircraft. Ultimately, lessons are learned and adversity conquered; they both return to their respective worlds and lives.
This is a very short summary of a richly detailed and at times surreal plot. It would be impossible to convey it all in just 70 minutes with four dance actors, but Luca Silvestrini has certainly made a commendable attempt, providing us with a wondrous glimpse into Saint-Exupéry’s world. And that sweep had the kids in the audience transfixed and some parents, including myself, picking up on the deeper observations about life.
The theatrical set is entirely in white, featuring large and small white planets for the dancers to move around and on. Back projections display simple graphics and, importantly, surtitles for all the dialogue, which is abundant. For much of the time, dance and movement tend to recede in this telling, but have greater impact when they break out, especially against the backdrop of Frank Moon’s delicately jaunty music. Costumes by Yann Seabra are quirkiily striking. And the Pilot’s aircraft is symbolised by a paper plane, and suddenly we realise why, with the leaflet programme, we each got a piece of A4 printed with directions on how to make our own plane.
The Little Prince is led out by Mette Nilsen, with Simon Palmer as the pilot/narrator, and Donna Lennard and Karl Fagerlund Brekke playing multiple other characters. It all canters along, and for my old brain, not armed with the knowledge of the book that I indicate above, it could be rather bewildering as you look to disentangle the surreal from real-life observations. Kids, I think, just get wrapped up in its wonder, and the pace keeps them from becoming fidgety. There is also a bit of welcome audience interaction that has us shouting back at the stage, almost pantomime style.
Although I found myself mystified at times, rather than simply charmed, I warmed to Mette Nilsen’s Prince and Donna Lennard’s King without subjects, and Rose(s) and the ending (no spoilers here) is beautiful and uplifting. It is also a great price at just £16 a seat for live theatre. My tip for parents would be to read the Wikipedia page about the book and its plot to get more of what’s happening. That, and to jump in with performances up to 24 December… booking details.