Great Performances: The Little Prince

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 9:55pm

Is anyone else watching this? I just tuned in. It's beautiful so far! One of my favorite books...

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:15pm

I own the French Cast Recording of it, and oddly enough I am listening to it as I write this. What a wonderful little musical is it.

[Mattio98]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:20pm

Yes, I'm watching it too. Really lovely and some of the best camera work I've ever seen for a live performance.

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:23pm

I think that's a different version-- though I know what you're talking about. The PBS production is an opera by Rachel Portman.

How is the French recording? I like reading the book in French because the language is prettier.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:28pm

I watched a bit of it but switched over to LAW AND ORDER.

[morosco]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:30pm

Absolutely delightful. Stunning visuals. Brilliantly captures the spirit of a live performance. Can't wait to watch it again! I just ordered it on Amazon.
The Little Prince

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:32pm

Thanks for the link, Morosco. I just ordered it, too.

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:39pm

I agree, morosco. I hope it reruns, I can't afford it right now!

[Mattio98]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:41pm

PBS is going to rerun it....at least in the NY area. Check PBS.org for details. I'm off to Tivo the rerun.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:08pm

It's a great opera. I auditioned for the part of The Prince at it's world premiere in Houston, TX at the Houston Grand Opera. Well they ended up casting some prodigy that they brough it from Minnisota or somewhere, and then me and 3 other guys were called back for the understudy. I didn't get the understudy, but since they guy that did's voice was on the brink of changing, I was cast as the understudy's understudy. When I wasn't performing as the Prine, which was a lot of the time, I was in the Children's Chorus (which you can't see in the video as often as they were onstage in the original). Even though the broadcast version was a different cast produced by a different opera company, the one standout visual, the costumes, were left the same. The designs are flawless and stunning and there's never nothing to look at.

[mabel]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:18pm

I was flipping through and saw like 3 seconds of it and said to myself "This looks like Le Petie Prince!" I had no idea it was on (or that they even made an opera out of it, to be perfectly honest!) but I'd read the book in French class, and it looked absolutely like it should (if that makes sense!) It'd already been on for over an hour, so I didn't leave it on, but I'll have to try to catch it if/when they re-air it!

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:21pm

The French musical is outstandingly gorgeous. I would tell you where to get it, but my French teachers helper burned me a copy last year in class, and I think she bought her's over-seas. Yes, I was the only nerd to ask for a copy.

[commasplice]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:26pm

Ooh, now I want the French musical. I will find it. I hope. LittleFish, is it a 2-CD thing?

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:27pm

Thanks! It's been on my list for a while.

commasplice - last time I checked, Footlight had it.

[commasplice]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:30pm

OOOOH. Found it. It's the same one I found on Amazon.fr (and thankfully not in Euros). Thank you MatureDignity! (for anyone else looking: http://footlight.com/product.cfm?product_id=27986)

Time to start hoarding my pennies.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:34pm

yeah its two cds. Puisque C'est Ma Rose, is probably the most beautiful song I've ever heard. If only I could find the sheet music!

[MatureDignity]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:35pm

Sure!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 2:07am

Hrumph......It put me to sleep, well except for the pilot......I'd do anything he asked!
I'll take the book anyday over the musical. It was hard to understand the words, and I just plain didn't like it.

[riv]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 11:26am

Paging Lerner & Loewe...

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 11:59am

"I watched a bit of it but switched over to LAW AND ORDER."
ME TOO!

[Mattio98]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 12:51pm

I thought this was FAR superior to the Lerner and Loewe version.

[JBSinger]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 3:32pm

Watched bits and pieces. Looked stunning and I really liked some of the music. The Pilot was kind of hot but I didn't like his "straight-tone-to-vibrato" style. Couldn't understand the Fox lyrics at all. The chorus writing was really lovely. I DVD'd it so I'll be watching it in its entirety sometime. Portman writes some lovely stuff, but I'll be interested to see if there was more variety than the portions I heard.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 4/7/05 at 3:35pm

i saw the original in TX and then the revival production, both very good. It's much closer to musical theatre than opera, and i think it might be a bit more accessible if cast with true musical theatre voices. The supporting adult cast of the first version here were partially from the HGO Opera studio, and the ones who could sing in musical theatre style were much more effective than the more legit-sounding voices. The children's chorus in both productions were terrific in sound and stage presence, as the concertmaster there does a wonderful job.

As for the visuals, it's interesting to note that the production was one of the last scenic designs of Maria Bjornson (PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) before her untimely passing. It's beautifully done, and as true to a source of line-drawings as a scenic design might hope to be.

[riv]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 9:36am

For those living in New York: The Little Prince will be re-aired Sunday at 1PM on WNET Channel 13.