‘The Little Prince’ Comes to Life Through Center Stage Troupe

When your kingdom includes nothing but three knee-high volcanoes (two active, one dormant) and a vainglorious rose, you have a lot of time to wonder “matters of great consequence.”

The musings of a boy monarch are at the heart of “The Little Prince,” a 1943 fairy tale by French novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupery that celebrates the uncluttered wisdom of youth.

Placentia-based Center Stage Productions presents its stage adaptation of the story, directed by Daniel Halkyard, through May 6 at the Anaheim Cultural Arts Center.

“It’s a simple story told in a simple place by simple people,” said Halkyard, 39. “There has been a lot of discussion about its meaning, but as we see it, the real message is that everyone has something within themselves that’s important, so please honor that.”

Saint-Exupery’s story follows the adventures of the Little Prince, ruler of a tiny asteroid where the sun sets on demand and “anywhere you go, you can’t go very far.” Seeking new experiences, he tours nearby planets, meeting an assortment of quirky characters that affirm his theory that “grown-ups are very odd.” He ultimately lands on Earth, finding himself somewhere in the middle of the Sahara with a downed aviator, whose previously mature thinking is forever altered by the youth’s simplicity.

“The Little Prince,” which has been adapted for dance troupes, a cartoon series, and in 1974, a film version featuring Gene Wilder and Bob Fosse, is currently enjoying a comeback in the classroom, Halkyard said.

“We’re seeing the book in a lot of elementary school classes, so we thought it was a good time to try it on the stage,” he explained. “When children see a story they’ve read put in a theatrical setting, it really helps bring it to life.” Six local grade schools have already booked performances of the show, said Halkyard, who hopes to present the play at dozens more over the next few months. School productions will include after-show discussions with the cast and classroom activities.

Presented in the round, this “Little Prince” is children’s theater at its most spare. There is literally no set, save a spindly black street lamp, and the props can be counted on one hand. The four-member cast (all adults) depends only on Saint-Exupery’s gentle but witty prose to carry the day. Overall, the effect is a charming and thought-provoking--if sometimes slow-moving--theatrical experience for the whole family.

The Spartan staging and unhurried pace have their drawbacks. Halkyard has targeted his audience at 10 years and up, but the lack of physical action and the occasional lengthy monologues, especially by the aviator/narrator, taxes the attention of younger children. (Be smart and book a baby-sitter for the tiny tots. At Friday’s opening night performance, at least one preschooler had trouble keeping her eyes open.) Musical interludes and blackouts between scenes could use a little trimming as well.

Punching up the tempo, however, was the comic gifts of Daniel Felsenfeld, 20, a promising young Fullerton College student with a number of community theater productions to his credit. With rapid-fire delivery and exaggerated physical humor, Felsenfeld amplified the foolishness of the men of the Princes’ neighboring asteroids: a bumbling king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a covetous businessman and a single-minded lamplighter. Adriana Sanchez, 19, was alternately coquettish and scheming as the self-centered rose, the fox that yearns to be tamed and the worldly snake. Halkyard’s twinkling eye and his dry, Mark Twain-ish delivery added charm to the role of aviator/narrator.

Eighteen-year-old Tom Nellesen had his work cut out for him as the Little Prince. Standing at least six feet tall with a jawline better suited to Dick Tracy than a boy in knickers, Nellesen brought to the role a surprising gentleness that sometimes bordered on melancholy. It would have been nice to see a little more boyish enthusiasm temper all that sage philosophizing.

Center Stage Productions was founded in 1986 by Halkyard, a Fullerton resident who also operates Broadway on Tour, a Placentia-based performing arts company of children ages 7 to 17. As Center Stage’s sole staff member, Halkyard says he seeks to “produce theater that brings families together.” He regularly directs children’s musicals at grade schools in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties, involving as many students as possible in the process. A recent production of “Peter Pan” at Yorba Linda’s Travis Ranch school featured 250 children in the cast, said Halkyard.

“We had 100 ‘little lost boys,’ ” he laughed. “It was wild.”

Whether his cast members are 12 or 20, Halkyard says his message to his actors is always the same.

“My philosophy is that you can act bad or you can act good, but when you’re playing for kids, you have to act true,” he explained. “With children, I’ve learned that if you just bring them the message honestly and don’t preach at them, you’ll go a long way.”

“The Little Prince,” a stage adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s fairy tale presented by Center Stage Productions, continues through May 6 at the Anaheim Cultural Arts Center, 931 N. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Directed by Daniel Halkyard. Lighting/sound by Matt Stroul. Featuring Daniel Halkyard, Tom Nellesen, Adriana Sanchez and Daniel Felsenfeld. Performances are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Runs one hour and five minutes. Recommended for children 10 and up. All tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. For information, call (714) 524-8102.