Der kleine Prinz (UA) at Nationaltheater Mannheim

The melancholy fairytale of the Little Prince was published in the middle of the Second World War. It tells of a bizarre journey from star to star and of the encounter between a child and a pilot who has made an emergency landing in the desert. The prince has come a long way, and tells of strange episodes on his long journey. Nearly all the people that the little prince met on their lonely planets have turned into sad caricatures of themselves: the authoritarian ruler, the shame-faced drinker, the ivory tower academic. But the traveller also made friends with a fox. And the fox sent him on his way with a very fundamental insight: »You can only see well with your heart, the essential things are invisible to the eyes«.

The story of the little prince, digs deep down into the understanding of a rationally organised world. It asks about the elementary desires and childlike longings that disappear as one begins to grow up. Who is this little prince? Is he the pilot? Does the adult in the desert meet the boy that he once was? Or is the Little Prince the child that still slumbers in every adult? The catchy language of Saint-Exupéry effortlessly leads to highly complex philosophical issues and examines existential questions. The story and affectionately drawn illustrations by the French pilot and author provide Dominique Dumais with the basis for her first narrative ballet.