Description

The Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Performed by Matthew Dexter

Many people will know this beautiful, gentle and funny story, written perhaps for children, but appealing to the child in all of us. It relates the adventures of a little prince who sets out from his tiny planet to discover the wider universe, who meets quaint and quirky characters and creatures on various planets, and finally on the Earth, where he meets the pilot, the writer of the story.

?I should have liked to begin this story like a fairy-tale:
?Once upon a time there was a little prince, who lived on a planet that was scarcely bigger than himself, and who had need of a sheep...
To those who understand life, that would have given
a much greater air of truth to my story?.?

De Saint-Exupéry succeeds where many modern writers fail: seemingly effortless he creates a fairy-tale with a mysterious undertow of truth. It affects us deeply, we feel the nudge and pressure of its symbols. Musing on the story afterwards we can come to the surprising conclusion that it is a ?mystery-story? suffused with esoteric Christianity in a way that can speak to an audience today: with a lot of humour.

With animals like the fox and the snake and many other vivid characters The Little Prince lends itself very well to dramatized storytelling. I tell the story and act out the characters as they appear, just enough to speak to the imagination of the audience.

?? we laughed uproariously at his brilliant characterisations of the King,
the conceited man, the drunkard and the business man ?
bringing the story to a close with thoughtful and tender wistfulness,
Matthew left us in silence with an inner recognition
of the deep truths of this well loved story.?

- Cherry How, Camphill Clanabogan

Running time 90 mins with 15 mins interval

Description

West Hoathly Road,

East Grinstead,

West Sussex,

England,

RH19 4NF.