The Little Prince and the Aviator
| The Little Prince and the Aviator | |
|---|---|
| Music | John Barry |
| Lyrics | Don Black |
| Book | Hugh Wheeler |
| Basis | Novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince |
| Productions | 1981 Broadway never officially opened |
The Little Prince and the Aviator is a musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Don Black, and music by John Barry.[1]
Based on the classic book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the musical deviates from the original in that aviator Toni, whose plane crashes in the Sahara Desert, explicitly is real-life author Saint-Exupéry, and the plot alternates flashbacks to actual events in his life with his interaction with the fictional Little Prince, a refugee from Asteroid B-612.
Undaunted by the critical and commercial failure of the 1974 musical screen adaptation by Lerner and Loewe, A. Joseph Tandet, a co-producer of the movie who owned the rights to the story, proceeded with his plans for a Broadway production. To save money, he decided to forgo an out-of-town tryout.
Previews were originally scheduled to begin on December 31, 1981 at the Alvin Theatre. The first preview was canceled at the last minute, after a change in both director and choreographer late in the rehearsal period; the production actually began previews on January 1, 1982.[1] Late in rehearsals, Robert Kalfin was replaced as director by Jerry Adler and Billy Wilson replaced original choreographer Dania Krupska.[2] The production starred Michael York as the Aviator and Anthony Rapp as the Little Prince, with Ellen Greene in a supporting role and Gordon Greenberg as young Georges.[3] The show closed after twenty previews.[4]
Tandet sued the Nederlander Organization, claiming they had forced him to shut down the production with their demands for more money during its final week. He eventually was awarded $1,000,000,[5] representing two-thirds of his investment.
Song list
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References
- ^ a b "The Little Prince and the Aviator". IBDB. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "'Little Prince' suffering some growing pains". Daily News. December 30, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mandelbaum, Ken (1991). Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. St. Martin's Press. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-312-06428-4.
- ^ "'Little Prince' Closes Before Formal Opening". The New York Times. January 23, 1982. p. 14.
- ^ Gerard, Jeremy (October 16, 1986). "Nederlander Loses Apeal Of 'Little Prince' Damages". The New York Times. p. C-14.
