New Delhi

The Little Prince authored by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry showcases a little prince who treads in different universes and meets a King, a lamplighter, a calculator, a drunkard, roses in a rose garden and several other unique characters. The Little Prince is one of the most widely sold books worldwide having sold over 200 million copies. The Little Prince is also a play adapted from the bestselling book that’s been popular on Broadway for years. Now, The Little Prince has come from Broadway to the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre for just seven shows. 

Personally, I always wanted to go to Broadway to see shows like this. Having been there as a teenager who experienced the shows, I wanted to go back and see more. The Little Prince coming to Mumbai was like a cherry on top. I wouldn’t miss this show for anything. 

The Little Prince has several themes but one of the key ones is empathy for other people. People are almost like universes in themselves. Experiencing a new person is almost like experiencing a new universe that they’re part of and manifest around them. The Little Prince takes that well into accountability. With each new character the little Prince meets, the universe also changes around him. 

The Little Prince does justice in highlighting that love is one of the biggest feelings ever. The aerobatics and acrobatics during the scene where The Little Prince finds his beloved rose are surreal. Not just that, the whole scene breathes passion just through acrobatics and aerobatics to the audience. 

There’s a magnificent display of creative arts too. As soon as The Little Prince is about to enter a new world, the screen shows the universe, stars, galaxies and transforms into an extravaganza of fusion. 

Recently, there was a surge to buy Coldplay tickets across India to spectate their concerts. Coldplay concerts are best known for showcasing the universe and the song “Sky full of stars”. Watching The Little Prince was almost like being in a Coldplay concert with themes of friendship, loneliness, love, loss and everything in between. 

The Little Prince treads with everyone he meets with gentleness and kindness. He explores different universes and comes upon different people – who he’s willing to understand more about. He doesn’t want to change them despite their flaws. He’s just there to experience people and understand what their lives are like.

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The music in the show is spectacular. Every bit is worth engaging children in specifically. For children, the show will be mind boggling as they see balancing acts and the whole mystery around the bestselling book. 

Watching acrobatics and aerobatics was therapeutic for me. I would have rarely imagined how people’s bodies can twist and turn. It was a show worth watching from the front seats. People who try to watch it from seats above might not be able to enjoy the same level of precision in the aerobatics. However, they might be able to explore different angles. The aerobatics when The Little Prince meets Rose is stunning. He also realises there’s always going to be distance between them but he can still love her from afar. A huge melody for the long distance lovers out there who are watching this show. 

The final scene where The Little Prince dies in the desert is also similar to the scene where he is entering a new realm blurring boundaries between life and death and showcasing how we are all energy in the universe. This also coincides with what we might have thought of death according to Hindu tradition. It didn’t feel like death at all but a continuation in the universe. 

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When I was done with the play, I felt new again, almost like a child and wanted to be a part of The Little Prince universe.