Freeze Frame Opera, 25th November 2023, Octagon Theatre UWA

Freeze Frame Opera’s colourful and emotive production of the witty and often profound opera, The Little Prince is still a winner, 20 years on from its first premiere.

Rachel Portman’s melodious and moving opera realisation of the Nicholas Wright-adapted Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novel Le Petit Prince is a modern exemplar of a professionally commissioned and original show lovingly crafted for child audiences. Smaller independent WA company Freeze Frame Opera deliver an impressive and punchy production drenched with starry singing talent, lovingly directed with simplicity yet depth by Adam Mitchell, gorgeously designed by Rhi Walker, and with skilful choreography by ascending dance star, Scott Elstermann.  

Most audiences will be familiar with the English composer Portman’s work as an impressively lauded film composer (Emma, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) and her lush tonal and harmonic language is immediately recognisable and arresting, as is the well adapted libretto from playwright Nicholas Wright. The opera was originally commissioned by several North American opera companies, opening at Houston Grand Opera in 2003. In 2004 the BBC announced a television special, and this beautiful 2004 recording directed by Francesca Zambello features a touching performance from treble Joseph McManners and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the Pilot. Rhodes created the role in Houston and gives an absolutely blindingly good performance returning for the BBC, full of some of arguably the best singing you’ll hear in any opera on film. More about Rhodes’ lovely performance in a moment.

Discovering Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book as a pre-teen, I revisit it often, and find it has even more resonance with me as an adult and particularly as a parent. This is a great strength of the work but perhaps one of its drawbacks as an adapted piece, many young children possibly finding the non-linear and rather freeform nature of the storytelling a little challenging to follow. However, I believe that the best children’s work is family work, and although parents indulge their kids’ love for baby-shark kitsch at intervals, it really is special when you find work for children that appeals to the family unit and on multiple levels. This is not meant to sound snobby, but realistic—perhaps idealistic? These stories are multi-layered and at times challenging, and the young audience members on Saturday afternoon if they found some of the plot a little convoluted, had plenty of gorgeousness musically and visually to keep them engaged, along with some excellent lighting design by Jerry Reinhardt. These are not criticisms within FFO’s production, but the nature and design of the work itself. That said, the opera is perhaps best viewed with an initial exposure to the book with a parent guiding a child’s comprehension of major dramatic themes.

The Band were an impressively talented ensemble of musicians standing in grandly for a full orchestra playing the majority of the winds themselves. Not too shabby at all, Katie How, who admirably managed to play the flute whilst also conducting the ensemble and leading the children’s chorus. Likewise master of multitasking united with Sam Parry playing bassoon and oboe, Adrian Soares (credited as arranger) playing various MIDI and live clarinet, a sensitive Sophie Curtis on cello in all registers, and a stylish Tommaso Pollio, backing them all up as keyboard support. The odd clang of MIDI brass jarred in my ears a little, but as it reminded me quite funnily of the Princess Bride, and was mainly in slapstick  sections, it serendipitously added to the comedy of the scenes. In all, formidable displays of musicianship from all these players, who played with great feeling and musicality.

Set and stage design were uniformly excellent, straightforward, creative and well-rendered. I particularly loved the Little Prince’s starry jacket, the Pilot’s plane, the Fox’s Jean-Paul Gaultier-esque cone ears, the Snake’s oily black boa tail and the Rose’s spiky green boots. Just loveliness from Walker paying due deference to a beloved set of illustrations whilst maintaining their unique design voice.

Adam Mitchell’s second direction for FFO was similarly straight-forward and impressively sympathetic to the artform of opera, much like his work on the highly enjoyable La Fanciulla del West for the company in 2022. It’s a tricky gig to move between mediums of theatre and music drama this way, and Mitchell has the capacity to do this with considerable skill, revealing a sensitive and coordinated approach to collaboration with the ensemble and with choreographer Scott Elstermann. Mitchell hit the emotional highs of the piece, often by letting the music and voice speak for itself much of the time, the direction was tight and clean and acknowledged its humour, without clunkiness or saccharine, often a trap for opera, and particularly children’s opera work.

But at the end of the day, this is an opera and it’s got to be about the voice, so it was a delight to behold not a weak link in this formidable singing cast. Teddy Tahu Rhodes proved again what a magnetic stage presence he cultivates, he still has a richly chocolate bass, and navigated the heights of this challenging role with pathos and musicality.  The always delightful Rachelle Durkin as the Rose was simply divine, tickling our ears with her ever appealing silvery soprano coloratura and playful energy, her character at times quite lovingly maternal at one turn, and playfully coquettish at the next. Likewise, a crystalline Sara Macliver shone brightly as the Water, and the Rose Chorus revealed gorgeous little pops of developing soprano loveliness in their ranks.

The other men of the cast were no slouches, Brett Peart showing yet another impressively comic turn as the gruff and brightly ringing baritone Businessman, Jake Bigwood plumbing the velvety depths of the ridiculous bass King with assuredness and great comic timing, whilst Perry Joyce stole his scenes as first an esky-carrying yobbo, and next as the wonderfully creepy and skilfully sung Snake (revelling in a beautifully camp and slinky boa costume). A tenor to watch closely was the astoundingly good Kohsei Gilkes, who revealed not just a fantastically pingy sound, but two vastly different characterisations of the desperately Vain Man and the pensive Lamplighter. The character that gets all the best lines was left to a highly appealing Harriet Marshall as the Fox, who playfully frolicked on the stage with the Little Prince and sang with sweet lyric loveliness about the nature of love and loss.

The appropriate star of them all however, was the Little Prince. Camille Alonso was wonderfully musical and touchingly ageless somehow, despite the obvious vulnerability that the childlike appearance of her character evokes in the audience. Alonso sang with faultless intonation and clarity and held her own with considerable star-wattage surrounding her. No mean feat for one so young.

Likewise, the children’s chorus of WAYV showed yet again what a dynamic and musical ensemble they are, singing with clarity and enthusiasm, and sweetness of tone.

Well done one and all on such a touching and quality performance.