“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly,” Marrissa Leraas as the Little Prince, said mid-way through the second act of Northwestern’s winter workshop, “The Little Prince: The Play.” In a story full of exploring different planets, talking flowers and a curious little boy, this classic childhood story hides little bits of truth that we can take into adulthood. This show, by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar was adapted from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The play follows an Aviator who, upon being stranded in a desert, meets a strange little boy who tells stories of planets that he has traveled to and how he ended up on earth. This heartwarming tale captures the beauty of childlike imagination and creativity while hinting at the dangers of what happens when you lose that wonder.
The play’s design is nothing short of spectacular. Ethan Koerner heads up the process as director of “The Little Prince.” He said he first fell in love with this story when he read it during his freshman year of college. He loved this idea of exploring why “being an adult can sometimes be dumb” and how we should learn to be more childlike. When bringing it to the NW stage, he wanted to honor the playfulness and wonderment of the story.
Koerner did this by designing puppets that are used in various parts of the story. With help of the show’s costume designer, Lexi Squier, these puppets came to life. However not all the characters are puppets. Squier also got to design costumes for the title character, Little Prince, as well as the Aviator, Rose and Snake.
The minimalist set design of Melissa Tompson, highlighted with her projection design, captures exactly the vision of the show. The set is accented even more by the array of colors that the lighting designer, Drew Schmitt, employs to create a sense of depth and wonder. The prop design was done by Ruthie Zimmerman, who put immense time and effort into the small details, including designing the rotting cheese that appears in one scene.
The sound design by AJ Zinn is also keeping with the idea of childhood imagination. Unlike most sound designs, Zinn primarily used the actor’s vocals as the backing track for the show. He had them come in and record various noises then overlapped them to help create different sounds for the show.
The deeper implications of the script are what intrigued Emily Espinoza to audition. “I wanted to understand and attempt to be a part of a story that I could share with others while learning about myself throughout the process.” Espinoza said when asked about why she wanted to audition for this show specifically. “I had never auditioned for a show like this.” Espinoza helps round out this cast of 15 talented NWstudents.
“The Little Prince” opens this weekend with shows on Feb. 21, 22, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and a single matinee on Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m.
