OU's production of "The Little Prince" takes the stage this May

A beloved novel that has touched the hearts of readers for decades will come to life on the Varner Recital Hall stage in Oakland University’s production of “The Little Prince” May 29-31.

With music by Rick Cummins and lyrics by John Scoullar, this family-friendly production adopts the delightful characters and meaningful lessons from the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Oakland show is directed by Karen Sheridan, with musical direction by Fred Love.

Long considered a classic novel, “The Little Prince” was written by Saint-Exupéry during World War II. It relates the story of an airplane pilot who crash lands in the Sahara desert and meets a little prince whose friendship changes the way the pilot looks at the world around him.

Rochester Hills resident and OU sophomore Danielle Wulf plays the title role, and senior Peter Giessel, also of Rochester Hills, plays several roles as men on the planets. The cast also includes sophomore Nicholas Smith of Durand as the aviator; Auburn Hills resident Ashley Rozanski, a freshman, as Rose; Amanda Ryskamp of Oxford, a freshman, as Snake; and junior Steven Ross of Livonia as Fox.

Sign language interpreters Dan McDougall and Jamie DeWitt move on stage with the actors as part of the scene, rather than interpreting off to the side, away from the action. This type of interpreting allows deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons to better enjoy the performance.

This production continues Oakland’s long-standing partnership with TerpTheatre, which will offer shadow-signing at the 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 30.

The cast and crew will perform at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 29; at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 30; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. The show also will travel to schools in the area.

Tickets are $16 for general admission, $8 for students and $6 for all 10 a.m. matinee seats. General admission tickets are available through Star Tickets Plus, on-line at www.starticketsplus.com, or by phone at (800) 585-3737. General admission and discounted tickets are available through the Varner Box Office, which opens one hour before performances. For box office information, call (248) 370-3013.