EDINBURGH 2025: THE LITTLE PRINCE Q&A

BWW catches up with Toby Thompson to chat about bringing The Little Prince to the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about The Little Prince.

The Little Prince is a one-person adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic novella. It took me close to 4 years to write, and a couple of months in the rehearsal room with a large team of outstanding creatives. It’s definitely the most theatrical and collaborative production I’ve been involved with. I’m so proud of what we’ve managed to create. It’s a true feast for the senses; and also, I believe, for the heart and the mind. The show features an original score filled with gorgeous, sumptuous, jazz-infused sounds, stunning projections, an elegant set. The story itself is profound and playful, deep and silly, cosmic and intimate, poignant and vast… What’s not to like?!

What are the challenges of adapting such a beloved piece?

Reverence. I had such a deep respect for the original when I started that I became a bit paralysed. The story seems simple on the surface, so deftly does Antoine tell it. But once you start taking it apart, you realise there are a lot of different characters and tenses and plot threads at play. It’s easy to get in a tangle. I remember I was reading all these books about ‘dramaturgy’ and ‘dialogue’ and ’scene setting’ and all these fancy words, and finishing them not feeling any the wiser.

Then by luck I went to China for 6 months in 2022, touring a different show, and that loosened me right up. I had my own adventure, just like the little prince. I journeyed great distances, felt big feelings. I made friends and had to say goodbye to those friends. When I returned to England, something was different. I no longer saw the writing as a set of complex logical problems to be solved. All my head scratching was replaced by striding about talking to myself in funny voices, trying to make myself either laugh or cry, or better yet both. That’s how most of the script was written in the end. 

Why bring it back to the Fringe?

I’ve been to the Fringe three times in total. The first was when I was fourteen, playing ‘Dunks’ in Max and Beth, a hip-hop retelling of Macbeth, also produced, believe it or not, by The Egg Theatre who produced The Little Prince. We did ten days at the Underbelly. It was epic. 

A few years later I returned, performing poetry as part of an improv live music… thing. Our venue was the basement of a Mexican restaurant. The audience, which tended to be minuscule, were given sombreros and tequila shots on entry. We rented a tiny flat between ten of us and had to all take turns sleeping on the floor. It was a hoot. 

My third adventure at the Fringe was in 2018. This time I came for the entire month, bringing my show For The Record to Pleasance That, a glorious little shipping container just off the courtyard. It was one of the best months of my life.

All of this to say that I have fond and varied memories of the Fringe, and when The Egg asked if I’d be up for it this year, I said yes without a moment’s thought. Especially when I learned I’d be returning to The Pleasance. I can’t imagine anywhere I’d prefer to spend the month. 

What is the ideal age range for the audience?

We have 8+ on the listing, but it really is just a number. If you have a six or even a five-year-old in your care who loves literature, bring ‘em. And especially if you’re an adult without a child, this is for you too. The story is layered, the themes are deep, and the language is rich. If you disagree, tell me so after the show and I’ll buy you a drink. That’s a promise. 

What would you like audiences to take away from the show?

A smiling face and an open heart. Or an open mind and a heartfelt smile. Ideally both. 

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