'Little Prince' offers life lessons

For the next two weeks, Paul Green Theatre will be home to stars, planets, snakes and sand dunes as "The Little Prince" takes the stage.

The PlayMakers Repertory Company's production is based on the children's book by Antoine de St. Exupéry.

The play tells the tale of an aviator who crashes his plane in the Sahara. Unexpectedly, a little boy from a faraway star comes to meet him and shares tales about his journey through the universe and his encounters with roses, foxes, men and more.

"In the guise of a children's story are some very adult themes, and I think all the play's lessons are for adults and not for children," said Joseph Haj, PlayMakers' artistic director.

And likewise, director Tom Quaintance said he tried to steer away from replicating typical children's theater in "The Little Prince."

"We faced the challenge of creating something out of the book without looking too cartoony," he said.

Quaintance and McKay Coble, the show's scene and costume designer said they drew inspiration from the original illustrations in St. Exupéry's book.

More than 19 tons of sand were used to convert the stage into a giant sand dune.

"It's like this big fantasy playground we get to play on," said Lesley Shires, who plays the Little Prince.

Many performers wear flowing white costumes to blend in with the scenery and create the music and technical effects during the play.

"We wanted to create a soundscape of this place, with the sounds of the desert, the sounds of the stars and the sound of the sunset," Quaintance said.

The multiple sunsets in the play are physically created by the ensemble members, who dance with red and orange fabric while playing drums and other instruments.

"In a sense, the whole thing was like poetry," said audience member Max Preston, who attended Wednesday's preview performance.

Many of the costumes also demonstrate this mixture of fantasy and symbolism. The Rose character carries a red parasol draped with thorns to represent her role as a flower.

One of the major themes of the play is the relationship between the Rose and the Little Prince.

"It shows that we kind of get caught up on the outside, with the stereotypical things, and sometimes we don't take the time to go a little deeper and see what these things actually mean," Shires said.

Although the Little Prince is the central character in the story, Haj said, the lessons learned by the Aviator are essential to the story.

"We see in the course of the play how the Aviator remembers again the child that he buried - his artist self - the part that is creative and imaginative," he said.

Play attendee Pat Merriman said at Wednesday's show that these themes were important for her.

"It makes me realize that I better cherish the moment and the imagination of life," she said.

Haj said he hopes audience members, both young and old, can learn from the messages of "The Little Prince."

"I think the play really explores how there are things that are important to remember about how a child views the world and how foolish the life of adults can be," he said.

Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.

ATTEND THE SHOW Time: Various times today to Dec. 16 Location: Paul Green Theatre Info: www.playmakersrep.org