The Little Prince by Dragonfly Theatre Co.

I returned to Saigon yesterday and today enjoyed a chance to relax after two weeks away. This evening Jessica and I went to the première performance of the Little Prince, as scripted and produced by the Dragonfly Theatre Company. I am ashamed to say I didn't actually know the story of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic children's book; of course I was familiar with the title and the artwork, but I had never actually read it. At least this gave me the privilege of experiencing the story for the first time. Their modern adaptation was very good, with great characters, strong actors and well-chosen music. The occasionally wonky lighting was probably due to the basic facilities at the venue. The role of the Little Prince was performed wonderfully by a Vietnamese actress who touchingly captured the Prince's love for beautiful things and intrigue into the world of 'adults'. Wearing a curly golden wig, she was an unlikely but convincing match for the original character. I found out afterwards that the leading lady, Nguyen Lan Phuong, is a television actor and dancer.

The theatre company describe themselves on their website as "a newly formed group of professional Western and Vietnamese actors and directors with a vision to create professional English language theatre in Ho Chi Minh City and to make it accessible to the Vietnamese community". Despite some last-minute trouble with finding venues, they had sold out all of their four upcoming shows and tonight announced that they will be adding an extra date on Tuesday evening. I was pleased to be able to see the première performance and would recommend it to anybody in Ho Chi Minh City who can manage to grab a ticket.