Interview: Baritone Joshua Hopkins Talks HGO's THE LITTLE PRINCE

Another treat in the midst of cold weather for Houstonians- Portman & Wright's THE LITTLE PRINCE, the second opera in HGO's holiday series. The two act opera, sung entirely in English, is based on French literary giant Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's fantastical novella of the same name. A pilot, hopelessly stranded in the desert, makes the acquaintance of a Little Prince and, in their journey to safety, the two meet a cast of colorful characters and spark up an unlikely friendship. In his BroadwayWorld interview, Baritone Joshua Hopkins talks eloquently and lovingly about THE LITTLE PRINCE and the Little Prince.

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Could you tell me more about your character, the Pilot? What drives him?

There are two versions of the Pilot represented in the opera: the present-day storyteller who functions as the narrator of the Little Prince's adventure and the Pilot from the past, a character within his own story who interacts with the Little Prince while he is stranded in the vast Sahara desert. I like to call the present-day Pilot "enlightened" because it is only after his encounter with the Little Prince that the Pilot reconnects with his inner child. The enlightened Pilot recognizes the value of living his life through the perspective of a child's eyes: full of wonder, delight and mystery.

Initially, the Pilot is driven by "serious" and "grown-up" life-or-death matters: fixing his plane, being rescued and surviving the harshness of the desert. He is gruff, impatient and cranky, having been indoctrinated to behave like "grown-ups" from the age of six. Think Harrison Ford in the movie SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS. But the enlightened Pilot, sharing his story with his audience, has learned to recognize what truly matters in life.

What have you learned in your preparation for the role?

In my preparation for the role, I discovered the poignant beauty and depth of imagination of Saint-Exupéry's writing, not only in his children's book upon which the opera is based but also in several of his other novels. I'm particularly fond of a quote taken from WIND, SAND AND STARS, in which Saint-Exupéry describes his own experience having crash-landed in the desert: "Consider what had happened to me: I had thought myself lost, had touched the very bottom of despair; and then...I had known peace. I know now what I was not conscious of at the time - that in such an hour a man feels that he has finally found himself and has become his own friend."

What have you enjoyed most about working on this opera, preparing and collaborating with the director, your fellow cast members, and creatives?

I feel very privileged, because I get to rediscover this beautiful production with the same opera company and director after exactly eleven years. In December of 2004, while I was still a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, the company trusted and believed in me enough to cast me as the Pilot and I had a wonderful experience with it. However, it amazes me how much more the opera means to me eleven years later. I have a much stronger emotional connection to both the story and the music because, well, life happens and my older self has so much more life experience to infuse into the Pilot. A dear friend, our director Ellen Schlaefer and I share daily hugs and have discussed this topic on several occasions: how events in life change our interpretations of things over time. I have also been blown away by the phenomenal level of local talented children, in the title role and in the chorus; both Andy Jones and Cohle H. Smith as the Little Princes are not only brilliant musicians but amazing kids to hang out with.

This is a question I've always wanted to ask: the chief opera libretto language is Italian. There is also French and German following that. ls it a challenge to sing an English libretto, especially diction-wise?

Surprisingly, English is one of the toughest languages in which to sing. Labored with consonant clusters, diphthongs and several throaty vowels that don't sing as easily as the pure Italian ones, a singer's work is cut out for them when singing in English. Since my voice is not amplified in the theater, it takes a great amount of preparation and effort to produce understandable diction. English words are generally not understood until the listener hears the final consonant, so I add what is called a "shadow vowel" to the end of every final consonant so each word is projected into the auditorium with clarity. I also have to modify the way I would normally pronounce certain vowels in regular speech so they will project more easily into the theater while still maintaining the sense of the word. Ultimately, my goal is to allow people to understand every word I sing without having to bother reading the projected surtitles above the stage.

Are there any other challenges to this opera e.g. its relative newness, it's near classic status, vocal requirements?

The role of the Pilot is written in such a way that it tests every skill I have as a singer. It spans a very wide vocal range, sometimes lingering in a very low or very high extreme for a few minutes at a time with a variety of dynamic levels. There is one scene in which I must carry the sleepy Little Prince for a few minutes while I sing a difficult passage...when I finally put him down, my arms (and core) are quite relieved!

My emotional connection to the Little Prince in my final scene with him is very strong and it is a challenge not to delve too deep into the Pilot's sorrow, since I still have a few important lines to sing and it's impossible to sing while crying.

What do you enjoy about this opera? What makes it enticing to an audience? And what do you think will make this production particularly enticing for the audience?

I love that the opera is the children's storybook coming to life on stage and scored with Rachel Portman's beautiful, tuneful music. It appeals to all ages and is bound to touch the hearts of each person in the audience. This colorful production is designed directly from Saint-Exupéry's illustrations, so fans of the book will revel in the authenticity of the author's original vision. The constant contrast between a grown-up perspective and a child-like enlightened one helps to remind us what is truly important in life, especially during the holiday season, teaching us: "Eyes are blind; look only with the heart."

For more information on Joshua Hopkins, please visit joshuahopkins.com

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THE LITTLE PRINCE. Through Dec. 20. Wednesday and Friday, 7 p.m. Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17 and Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave. 713-228-6737. houstongrandopera.org/

Opera sung in English with projected English translation. Appropriate for all ages.

Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes with 1 intermission. Cast and conductor alternate in some performances.