Royalty comes to the SCR stage
TOM TITUS
Shortly before he lost his life in a plane crash, French author
Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote a fanciful story of a pilot whose
craft was downed in the Sahara Desert, but to whom fate was a great
deal kinder.
That story, “The Little Prince,” has charmed readers and -- thanks
to the stage adaptation by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar --
theatergoers for six decades. Currently it’s intriguing youngsters
and oldsters alike at South Coast Repertory.
As the second of three productions in the Theater for Young
Audiences program, “The Little Prince” is a colorful and fanciful
tale, blending harsh reality with delicious fantasy. Director Anne
Justine D’Zmura enriches her show with a sense of eternal optimism
despite the longest of odds.
As the stranded aviator who narrates and experiences the story,
Preston Maybank delivers a realistically articulate interpretation,
gradually bending to the more fantasy-oriented lessons of his
newfound companion, a precocious boy from another planet, also
stranded in an alien world.
The “little prince” is actually a princess. Jessica Goldapple dons
a unisex wig and becomes quite convincing in her boyish character.
Dispensing wisdom beyond her years, mixed with giggling youthfulness,
Goldapple successfully charms both the pilot and her audience.
There are three other actors in the show, playing multiple roles.
Most impressive is Sharmila Devar, who enacts both a seductive flower
and a poisonous snake. Her balletic moves are right on target.
Louis Lotorto excels in an extended cameo role as a high-strung
fox wishing to be “tamed.” Christopher Gerson provides a series of
comical background characters.
Donna Marquet’s desert setting is nicely broken by a portion of
the propeller-driven plane that refuses to fly. The colorful costumes
of Angela Balogh Calin contrast with the somber situation,
particularly Devar’s rose and snake attire.
South Coast Repertory is reaching out to the community with this
youth production, hosting 3,600 students from elementary schools in
the Santa Ana Unified School District for free weekday matinees of
“The Little Prince.” For many, it will be an impressive introduction
to the world of theater.
* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews
appear Fridays.
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