WCT’s ‘little prince’ beautifully relates

youthful wisdom

By MARILYN JOZWIK

Published Sept. 17, 2019

With community theater offering a steady diet of rambunctious farces, rocking musicals and thrilling whodunits, Waukesha Civic Theatre has shaken things up a bit with its presentation of the quiet and thoughtful “The Little Prince.”

The drama, by Rick Cummins and John Scoullan and based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, is directed by Laura Hughes and Shannon Sloan-Spice. It is a fantasy about an Aviator (Brant Allen) whose small plane goes down in a desert. He meets a peculiar boy, a prince, whom we learn is from another planet, actually a tiny asteroid.

WCT has given this show a gauzy, light and fanciful feel. Airy birds and butterflies fly soundlessly on ends of poles carried by performers, desert walls glide silently into place and ensemble movements are on catlike, padded feet. There is also much mood lighting to help create sunsets, deserts and other worlds, as well as a sense of peace and calm, thanks to Mike Van Dreser’s light design.

The story of The Little Prince starts with the Aviator, who, when he was a little boy, drew pictures to see if they would be interpreted in a serious or whimsical way, which would determine how he could relate to the person he showed them to. We see his drawings depicted on a large screen, so capably handled by projections illustrator Charlie Spice throughout the show

The Little Prince gently guides the pilot through his ordeal, showing him that which he holds dear, like the sunsets. “It’s good to have someone to watch the sunset with,” says The Little Prince. He describes how it is important for him to protect the beautiful-- though vain and needy—Rose from the encroaching Baobab trees and tells the Aviator stories of his visits to other planets, including his experiences with adults. These scenes are caricatures of various human traits such as greed and selfishness, wonderfully depicted by the use of larger-than-life puppets manipulated by one or two persons. Michael Pettit served as Puppet Master and manipulated The Businessman puppet. These five short scenes are nicely done with the fanciful large-headed puppets taking on their human personas.

Act 2 contains more lessons as The Little Prince tells stories, which seem like parables. There are little bits of irony, poignancy and thoughtfulness in each, such as in The Desert Flower story. The Little Prince asks, “Where are the men?” and he is told, “The wind blew them away, they have no roots.”

The Wall of Roses story is beautiful with its huge, colorful red roses popping out from trellises and the sand-colored backdrop.

Perhaps the liveliest story is the one in which The Fox (Bret Abel) asks The Little Prince to tame him. The Fox distills mankind simply: “Guns and chickens: Those are their only interests.” He talks about his life in pursuit of chickens and his aversion to guns, explaining his life as “Search. Run. Hide.”  Azure Schroeder plays The Little Prince in the flashback scenes and has such a joyous romp with Abel’s Fox as they dance to lively Celtic music.

Allen as the Aviator gives the buoyant show gravity as he contends with a broken plane, diminishing rations and a small, sweet boy with a strange past and veiled wisdoms that are gradually learned. The relationship of the present-day Little Prince, played beautifully by Olivia Vitrano, and the Aviator, is most touching.

The contrast of the fanciful prince and the serious adult is stark. The Snake (Ky Peters and Kyla Halquist) quickly recognizes The Little Prince’s character, saying, “You are innocent and true and come from a star.” The Little Prince chides the Aviator, who becomes angry with him for asking questions while the Aviator is trying to repair his plane. “You’re just like The Businessman,” the Little Prince tells the Aviator, reminding him of the man he had met on another planet who had more serious business to tend to – such as counting and owning the stars – than to pay attention to a small boy.

Perhaps the most oft-heard lesson in the play is said by The Fox: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

In the show’s finale, the Aviator realizes all he has learned from The Little Prince, saying, “If I forget him, I might become again like the grownups.” Allen and Vitrano capture all the emotion in that memorable scene.

Unlike with many plays that rely on sight gags, lively dance or music, the theater-goer must really listen carefully here. WCT has provided the sights, sounds and performances to highlight all the youthful wisdom in Saint-Exupery’s story.

It reminds me of the Buckminster Fuller quote: “All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of every 10,000 are swiftly, inadvertently degeniusized by grownups.”

If you go

Who: Waukesha Civic Theatre

What: “The Little Prince”

When: Through Sept. 29

Where: 264 W. Main St., Waukesha

Tickets/Info: 262-547-0708; www.waukeshacivictheatre.org