Tickets On Sale For THE LITTLE PRINCE; New Production at Opera In The Heights

Opera in the Heights (OH) will present a new production of Rachel Portman and Nicholas Wright's The Little Prince based on the iconic novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Directed by Josh Shaw and conducted by Eiki Isomura, performances will take place December 6, 8, 14, and 15 at Lambert Hall (1703 Heights Blvd.) with tickets now on sale, including a discount through Nov. 15.

In The Little Prince, a young boy travels from planet to planet, meeting numerous eccentric characters, who teach him life lessons about human nature. When he travels to Earth, he forms a deep bond with a stranded pilot, sharing stories of his adventures and his wish to be reunited with his beloved rose. With a whimsical libretto by Nicholas Wright and an enchanting score by Academy Award-winning film composer Rachel Portman (Emma, Chocolat, The Ciderhouse Rules), The Little Prince is an engaging and transporting opera experience for audiences of all ages whether they grew up with the novella or not.

Published in 1943 Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) is one of the best-selling books of all-time, having sold an estimated 200 million copies, and has been translated into over 600 languages and dialects world-wide, being the second most translated book ever, trailing only the Bible.

Its operatic adaptation by Portman and Wright is well-known to Houston audiences, who first experienced its world-premiere by Houston Grand Opera in 2003. It has since been produced on stages around the country and filmed in the UK for the BBC, establishing its position as a contemporary classic of the operatic genre.

OH artistic director Eiki Isomura praises the opera's unique ability to appeal to both adults and children. "Very much in the spirit of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, or perhaps even films by Pixar, this is a piece that can immediately capture the imagination of a child, while sinking into the hearts of adult audiences in a deeper way. And the music is simply gorgeous."

Making his return to direct is Josh Shaw, the mind behind some of OH's most celebrated productions including his Japanese-English bilingual Madama Butterfly in 2019, Scalia/Ginsburg and Elixir of Love in 2022. “I was instantly taken with this piece on my first hearing. The possibilities for creativity abound and change with every scene,” said Shaw. “When a story is seen through the eyes of a child, there are no limits. We too often forget that. The Little Prince has already reminded me that the world doesn't have to be the way we've always viewed it. I hope we can share that freedom with our audiences.”

Isomura expressed excitement and pride over the cast. "We are thrilled to once again be featuring some of Houston's finest singers, who are all debuting their roles." Playing the role of The Prince are Daniel Karash and Everett Baumgarten, 12-year-olds with many professional opera and musical theatre credits to their names already. They will each perform two of the four total performances running December 6-15, as will baritones Scott Clark and Kellen Schrimper, playing the narrator role of The Pilot.”

The only evening performance will be Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and the remaining three performances are matinees on Saturday Dec. 14 and Sundays Dec. 8 and 15 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place at Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. The performances will be sung in English with English surtitles projected on monitors on the sides of the stage.

Opera in the Heights, a professional regional company, exists to provide a stage for emerging performers and bring affordable opera to the Greater Houston Area. All operas are fully staged with orchestra and presented in the original language with English surtitles projected above the stage.

Tickets can be purchased online with prices from $35 - $85, plus handling fees. Be sure and purchase early to get the best seats and a special discount of 40 percent through Nov. 15 with the code FAMILY40. Go to www.operaintheheights.org/2024-2025-the-little-prince to reserve your tickets now.

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