The Little Prince and the Aviator

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]

The Little Prince and the Aviator
MusicJohn Barry
LyricsDon Black
BookHugh Wheeler
BasisNovel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Little Prince
Productions1981 Broadway
never officially opened

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.[2] Late in rehearsals, Robert Kalfin was replaced as director by Jerry Adler and Billy Wilson replaced original choreographer Dania Krupska.[3] The production starred Michael York as the Aviator and Anthony Rapp as the Little Prince, with Ellen Greene in a supporting role.[4] The show closed after twenty previews.[5]

Producer Tandent 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,[6] representing two-thirds of his investment.

Song list

References
  1. "The Little Prince and the Aviator". IBDb. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. "The Little Prince and the Aviator". IBDb. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  3. "'Little Prince' suffering some growing pains" Daily News, December 30, 1981
  4. Ken Mandelbaum. Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops, St. Martin's Press, 1991, pages 29-31, ISBN 0-312-06428-4.
  5. "'Little Prince' Closes Before Formal Opening" The New York Times, January 23, 1982
  6. Gerard, Jeremy. "Nederlander Loses Apeal Of 'Little Prince' Damages" The New York Times, October 16, 1986
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