Houston Grand Opera's 'Little Prince' sings from the heart

As much philosophy as fantasy, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved 1943 novella "The Little Prince" is a unique work - charming, whimsical, wise, moving, sorrowful and ultimately inspiring.

Houston Grand Opera's current revival of "The Little Prince," the opera it premiered in 2003 and encored the following year, confirms that the appeal exerted at its premiere was not simply a matter of its novelty in content and presentation. Revisited more than a decade later, the opera impresses more than ever with the enduring merits of Rachel Portman's engagingly lyrical score and Nicholas Wright's sensitive and lovingly crafted libretto. The strengths of composition are intertwined with the ingenious production created by original director Francesca Zambello, neatly restaged for this run by Ellen Douglas Schlaefer, and the imaginative settings and costumes created by the late designer Maria Bjornson.

As a result of their combined efforts, "The Little Prince" maintains all the defining qualities of Saint-Exupéry's book, bringing them to three-dimensional life in music, words and evocative stage imagery. In the current run, the work's appeal is consistently supported by a marvelous cast, the delightful contributions of a children's chorus and the expert orchestral performance conducted by Bradley Moore.

The enigmatic fable unfolds as the recollection of a Pilot, telling of the time he crash-landed in the Sahara. Understandably concerned about his survival, the Pilot encounters a mysterious golden-haired lad who seems to speak in riddles and says he has journeyed from a distant asteroid. The Little Prince tells of his life on the tiny sphere, which he left seeking a means of controlling the ravenous baobab trees that threaten the planet and, especially, the Rose the Little Prince loves. As the Little Prince relives his strange adventures, he shares his peculiar wisdom regarding life, love and loss - deeply affecting the Pilot. Ultimately, the Little Prince must return to his planet and his beloved Rose, by surrendering to the bite of the Snake.

Wright's libretto is faithful to the book, shaping its episodic narrative in compact scenes and graceful verse. He incorporates many of Saint-Exupéry's core notions intact and, where he paraphrases or expands on ideas, the additions always sustain the source's spirit and style.

Portman's delicate music captures the warmth, charm, humor and pathos of the story and characters. Key arias for the Pilot and the Little Prince are moving, finely wrought musings. Eccentric comic numbers carry the sequences showing the Little Prince's encounters with various obnoxious adults on the different planets he visits. Portman's writing for the children's chorus is especially inspired, and she has provided superlative full-company finales that close each of the two acts in resoundingly satisfying fashion.

Andy Jones is utterly unaffected as the otherworldly title character, his boy soprano piping plaintively. He conveys the requisite sweetness, mildness and simplicity, along with the role's arbitrarily demanding and baffling qualities.

Joshua Hopkins unfurls a robust and polished baritone as the heroic Pilot, perplexed yet fascinated by the mysterious visitor.

Key featured performances are vocally accomplished and thoroughly in the spirit of the enterprise: Pureum Jo's fetching yet thoughtless Rose; Sofia Selowsky's wise and gentle Fox; John Kapusta's sinuously menacing Snake; Federico de Michelis' pompous King; and Chris Bozeka's idealistic Lamplighter.

The HGO Children's Chorus, prepared by Karen Reeves, brings rich, balanced sound and vivacious spirit to its inspired turns representing the stars singing around the Pilot and the kindly cranes who transport the Little Prince through the universe.

The book's core message soars across the footlights in the opera's final scenes: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

The success of "The Little Prince," as an operatic treatment of a unique tale, is that it sees with the eyes of a child and sings from the heart.