The Little Prince, Cockpit Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The Little Prince is a classic, written by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in 1943. Since then, it has been adapted and performed countless times, anything from anime to radio broadcasts and, of course, to stage productions. The Little Prince, produced and presented by Liminal Space Theatre Company, promises to bring this well loved tale to life using original music, puppetry, projection and movement in a show guaranteed to thrill adults as well as children.
The Little Prince follows The Aviator (played by Matt Tylianakis) from childhood, where he draws a boa constrictor eating an elephant. The adults around him don’t quite get his vision and think he has drawn a hat, and so off he goes to become a pilot. He crashes and meets The Little Prince (played by Thisakya Dias), who asks him to draw a sheep, delighted by the outcome. The Little Prince then recounts his story, and how he fell in love with his Rose (played by Cicely Halkes-Wellstead) despite feeling like she was taking advantage of him. The Little Prince leaves Asteroid B 612 and travels to different planets, each inhabited by one adult. What follows is a story exploring connection, loneliness and the impact of love.
We enter the theatre where there is a long chalkboard across the back of the stage with ‘Boa constrictors eat their prey whole’ already written on it. Periodically, this is wiped off and replaced with other drawings, but most magically, we have a series of projections. The projections, along with the movement, were show stealers. The young children in the audience gasped with delight, and I think a few adults did too!
The story is presented beautifully, appealing to children and adults. Each cast member stood out as a strong and talented performer, whether acting as a rosebush or a lamplighter. Between scenes, there was a very short dance interlude, where lit up lanterns and puppets were used to represent The Little Prince venturing between planets. I can only describe these scenes as stunning, I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage.
The themes really do shine throughout, not too subtly either. The obvious favourite being the scene with the Fox. This is very playful, with the Fox (played by Simona Hughes) and The Little Prince moving around each other, leaping across the stage and giggling until the fox is tamed. This is another moment where projections are used beautifully, this time in the shape of an apple tree, which the Fox says will always remind him of The Prince. The parting words – ‘important things can only be seen by the heart, not the eyes’ – are remembered and taken away by The Prince as he continues onto earth to finish his mission.
The movement used throughout The Little Prince is sensational to watch. The cast all move delicately and with precision, almost like watching ballet. The cast also comes together to act out a snake slithering across the desert, a sunset and an aeroplane. With the use of props at times, the cast didn’t skip a beat at all.
The Cockpit Theatre is a lovely space, just off Church Street and close to Edgware Road. They do a lot of work with the local community, which is undergoing regeneration, and deserve a lot of love from theatre-goers.
The combination of music, movement and lighting makes The Little Prince what it is – a stunning and engaging performance. I can’t find any faults at all – a huge statement, I know. I found it to be visually stunning, beautifully told and appealing to any age. It ticked all of the boxes for me, a wonderful introduction to theatre for those younger audience members and a reminder of why theatre is so important.
At The Cockpit Theatre until 12th April 2025
★★★★★
