THE LITTLE PRINCE on Broadway - Previews & News Thread

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 10:20am

Following sold-out runs in Paris, Sydney, and Dubai, The Little Prince, one of the best-selling and most translated books ever published, will come to Broadway in a new stage production.

This new production will feature dance, aerial acrobatics, and video mapping technology that bring the classic adventure story loved by generations to life.

Arriving in New York City on the cusp of World War II, the exiled French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote and illustrated The Little Prince in 1942 while residing between a Manhattan townhouse and the historic Delamater-Bevin Mansion on the north shore of Long Island. The now-classic was first published in the United States in 1943.

Produced by Broadway Entertainment Group, The Little Prince will begin performances Friday, March 4, 2022 at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway), with opening night set for Thursday, March 17, 2022.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-LITTLE-PRINCE-Will-Come-to-Broadway-in-March-2022-20211209
 

Updated On: 3/21/22 at 10:20 AM

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:02am

This isn't a musical, right? More of a special live presentation? 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:10am

Looks like it. It will play a limited engagement through August 14, so the Broadway is vacant once again for next fall.

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:16am

Do we have any idea who will be in this?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:19am

Lunalaaaaaaaa said: "Do we have any idea who will be in this?"

There is a cast of 16 including swings, and it is led by Lionel Zalachas as the title role.

[Tag]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:19am

Deadline is calling it a musical.

Also worth noting it's not the Nicholas Lloyd Webber musical version.

[Tag]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:21am

The primary cast includes Lionel Zalachas (The Little Prince), Aurélien Bednarek (The Aviator), Chris Mouron (The Narrator), Laurisse Sulty (The Rose / The Snake alternate), Adrien Picaut (The Businessman / The Switchman), Antony Cesar (The Vain Man), Andre Kamienski (The Drunkard), Marcin Janiak (The Lamplighter), Srilata Ray (The Snake) and Dylan Barone (The Fox / The King).

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:26am

Tag said: "Deadline is calling it a musical."

So is Internet Broadway Database.
https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-little-prince-533150

Though I'm guessing that the Tonys won't classify it as a musical, even though it'll likely still be eligible for Best Original Score and Best Choreography since those categories allow plays to compete along with musicals.

 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:29am

Is it this production? 

Updated On: 12/9/21 at 11:29 AM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:30am

Michael Paulson of The New York Times says it is “not a traditional play or musical,” but more of a spectacle / theatrical experience, more like Slava’s Snowshow.

[StageJunkie2]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 11:45am

Judging from their website (thelittleprincebroadway.com), it appears to be the same. Very Cirque du Soleil-ish. Intriguing…

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 12:33pm

Jordan Levinson said: "Michael Paulson ofThe New York Timessays it is “not a traditional play or musical,” but more of a spectacle / theatrical experience, more likeSlava’s Snowshow."

Sounds fun as hell. We need more of that on Broadway. 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 12:36pm

I agree this sounds super cool. I love The Little Prince as a story, and excited to see another adaptation of it. 

As for whether it's a musical or not - I think we'll have to wait and see how exactly the music is used, how prominent it is, how much of it there is, etc. (or, if anyone has already seen this production and can weigh in on that, that would be cool too). Worth noting that even Cirque's "Paramour" was eligible for Best Musical, even though it was a similarly spectacle-driven show, because the use of music qualified it as a musical. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 12:42pm

StageJunkie2 said: "Judging from their website (thelittleprincebroadway.com), it appears to be the same. Very Cirque du Soleil-ish. Intriguing…"

That's essentially what it looks like from the promo videos. There was one Cirque show on Broadway about 10? years ago and it didn't exactly sell, so do we really think this will?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 12:46pm

Give me this over Rocktopia or the residencies at the Lunt any day. Looks pretty exciting, even if it may struggle (like most tenants) to fill that vast theatre. Perhaps CINDERELLA will open at the Broadway in the fall?

Dance and large-scale group entertainment are among the things I have most enjoyed post-Covid, since they couldn't be captured properly in filmed or virtual events.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 2:01pm

Doesn’t seem like a musicals per say from the trailer. And I’d guess it’s been successful in so many markets because there is no dialogue and it’s just a visual feast. Looks really gorgeous! 

[leefowler]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 2:11pm

They had me at "video mapping technology."

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 5:11pm

This looks super cool, and it does seem to fall into the category of "special theatrical experience" more than a musical or play with music, just based on the promotional material. I feel like Paramour still followed the structure of a traditional book musical, just with extended interludes to do the Cirque du Soleil stuff, and this seems to feel a little different. I'm quite excited either way, and I think the Broadway should be a good house for this 

[Lunalaaaaaaaa]

Posted: 12/9/21 at 5:57pm

Thanks Jordan and Tag! I had been wondering about this. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/10/21 at 8:30am

Does anyone else wish it was a performance of this? Just to see how bad it may have been?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/10/21 at 3:45pm

It looks interesting.  This book has stubbornly refused to adapt to other mediums successfully, so we'll see...

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 12/10/21 at 11:38pm

Definitely intrigued by this! Some members of my (former) children's choir were in an opera production of it back when I (and most of them) were in middle school, and I've loved the story ever since. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/11/21 at 1:45am

Say what you want about Paramore but that ending set piece with the skyline. Wowza. I’m like how do they store that thing?! I was impressed by the physical production which is VERY cirque. So I was a fan. This looks to rely mostly on projections - not a bad thing per say - but the video felt redundant. But still this looks cool!

[Mike Costa]

Posted: 12/11/21 at 6:09pm

What a nasty thing to say.

I saw it at the Alvin Theatre.

It starred Michael York, whom you seemed to like in Cabaret , and Anthony Rapp whom you seemed to like in Rent. It was written by George Furth , whose A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd seem to agree with you . The music was by FIVE time Academy Award winner John Barry who scored ELEVEN James Bond films which seemed quite popular. An entire airplane miraculously appeared on stage .

Things close for many reasons. A lot more respect should be paid to creative people in our business, especially on a board devoted to theater.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/11/21 at 6:32pm

It also notoriously flopped in previews after 20 performances and changed director and choreographer late in rehearsals. Someone wondering how "bad" it may have been is hardly nasty or demeaning.