Washington National Opera's holiday offering is a revival of The Little Prince, an opera based on the world-famous novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Envisioned by WNO's artistic director Francesca Zambello more than two decades ago, with the music by award-winning composer Rachel Portman and the libretto by playwright Nicholas Wright, this chamber opera is aimed at attracting families with children during the festive holiday season.
The Little Prince is perhaps best known as the book grown ups consider the most beloved children's book. Translated into more than 600 languages and dialects since its 1943 publication, its hard-cover version is among the common gifts for kids whether for their birthday, special holiday or a baby shower before they were even born. However, despite the common assumption, the classic bestseller is not every child's favorite book and neither is the opera their favorite performance. At the opening night at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater on Friday there were far more grown ups than children at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. The author hinted in his dedication that the book about a child is for adult people who can remember they were once children.
One of the reasons for this conundrum is the sophistication of the messages and life lessons exchanged by the two protagonists during their week-long encounter: the pilot whose plane crashed in a desert and the Little Prince, a boy who fell on the Earth from an asteroid. The conversation is simple, but the topics are profound and the child is often wiser than the adult as the two discuss the value of imagination compared to reality, the importance of love and responsibility, the effect of loss and loneliness and the need to overcome longing and sadness. The Little Prince acquired much of his wisdom through encounters with a series of characters he had met during his visits to other planets: the King with no subjects, the Vain Man who has no one to admire him on his lonely asteroid, the Lamp Lighter who kips extinguishing and relighting the lamppost on a planet where the day only lasts a minute, the Businessman who never looks up from his accounts to see the stars and a man who drinks to forget his shame of drinking.
On the Earth, the boy met the Snake who promised to return him to his planet when he becomes homesick, the Fox who taught him the nature of love and he also ran into a garden of roses, where he realized his rose was not as unique as he had thought.
Kids growing up on a diet of Disney-style stories with a happy ending may also struggle to accept the boy's final sacrifice to return to his beloved Rose. In order to travel back to his star, the Little Prince must get rid of his body, so he allows the poisonous Snake to bite him. He consoles the grieving pilot with a reminder that he will see him with his heart whenever he looks at the stars, because he will know that the Little Prince inhabits one of them.
The themes that are critical of the modern materialistic society may be complex for a child to comprehend, but the simple language in which they are related makes them indelible. The opera retains most of the important lines from the book: "It is only with the heart that one can se rightly" or "it is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important" and "all grown-ups were once children." Those lines are remembered well into adulthood and recognized around the world.
Photo: Scott Suchman from the 2014 production
Conductor Micah Gleason kept an exuberant tempo, sensitive to tender moments, enhanced by the A. J. Guban's lighting, which conveyed the sun-scorched desert, coolness of the night, freshness of the water and sparkling of stars in the sky.
In terms of singing, the focus of this revival was on young and upcoming singers, most of them members of the Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera.
Robby Potter III as the title character sang with a voice typical for a child his age, with no attempt to sound like an operatic boy soprano. Combined with his poise and self-confidence throughout the 90-minute performance, this made him an ideal Little Prince. Chandler Benn as a pilot was an excellent choice too. His youthful baritone and boyish appearance made his friendship with the Little Prince believable and poignant. WNO's Youth Chorus added to the opera's appeal for the youngest audiences.
Rachel Portman's score gives the smaller roles expressive arias and a chance to showcase their vocal prowess. My favorite was virtuosic soprano Lauren Carroll as the Rose. The winner of several awards for young singers depicted the playfulness of a female that is willful, spoiled proud, demanding, shy and fearful all at the same time. It is said that the Rose was based on the character of Saint-Exupery's Salvadoran wife Consuelo, with whom he had a turbulent marriage.
Soprano Vivianna Goodwin, sparkling as the Water she portrayed, made her brief appearance by the well an unforgettable one.
Bass Atticus Rego as the King with no subjects conveyed the loneliness of a ruler who understands the futility of his nominal power. Hakeem Henderson as the Snake could be alluring, sleazy or frightening as the situation required. Along with some other singers who appeared a brief appearance, he covered several other small, but significant roles. Henderson doubled as Vain Man eliciting laughs with his attention-seeking shenanigans, which had no one to attract on his lonely planet. Like Atticus Rego, Henderson also appears as a hunter and baobab tree.
Overall, the 2025 version preserves the enchanting whimsical essence that made the WNO's 2014 debut a quick sell-out, but refreshes it with new voices and leadership. While I have to admit to getting somewhat bored the first time around 11 years ago, I found this revival captivating. Perhaps bringing my 10-year-old granddaughter made all the difference. She proclaimed The Little Prince to be the best show she had seen all year and for me that's the best confirmation that this opera is without doubt a delightful holiday treat.
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