The Little Prince’s journey from Paris’ Théâtre des Folies Bergère to the Broadway Theatre was an emotional one for director and choreographer Anne Tournié.
In order to channel the authenticity of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic tale, she tapped into the emotions she felt during her first reading of the novel. “I love the book. My mother used to read it to me. My father offered the book to my mother at their wedding. It's part of my life.”
Tournié’s stage production, which features an adapted libretto by co-director Chris Mouron, follows a young hero on his journey to self-discovery across a multitude of different planets, meeting a variety of unique personalities along the way. “It's all about respecting each other and respecting the planet,” explains Tournié.
Though the children’s novel was initially released in 1943, Tournié is adamant that the story is just as relevant today as it was when it was first published. Speaking to the story’s timeless nature, Tournié said, “It doesn't need to be modernized. It's exactly what we are living. The story is the same as it was in the 1940s. It is timeless. Antonie was a futurist.”
Meld the story’s universal nature with mind-blowing aerial artistry and original music by Terry Truck and the result, says Tournié, is like a painting. “This is our gift to bring hope to people,” she continues, “You receive what you want. Nobody understands the same thing.”