Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid today launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise £200,000 for a special recording of The Little Prince musical album and provide over 70 people in the theatre industry with jobs during the current COVID-19 pandemic
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Gosford Park, Withnail & I), Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy, Rome, Trainspotting), Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies, The Little Mermaid, Les Miserables), Tracie Bennett (End of the Rainbow, Hairspray, Follies), Amara Okereke (Les Miserables, The Boyfriend, Oklahoma!) and Lorna Want (Beautiful, Evita, Parade) will all lend their support to the project by playing principal cast members
The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 200,000,000 copies sold. It was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, published in 1943 and has remained a global favourite over the past 75 years. In 2010, Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid were granted permission, by the estate of the author, to create a musical adaptation.
Despite its success, there has never been an album recording of the music from the show. Today, the team behind the original musical of The Little Prince launch a unique crowdfunding opportunity to provide work to the arts sector and its employees who are suffering due to the closure of many theatres. In this time of crisis, they are looking to provide work for 70 musicians, singers and production staff including many freelance technicians and artists. The total budget being raised for the project is £200,000.
There is a huge uncertainty as to when theatres, concert halls and auditoriums will be allowed to fully re-open their doors and greet audiences again. With the majority of the arts industry being freelancers, there is a pressing need to create work for them in controlled, safe environments. The recording studio provides a safe, Covid-secure environment for people to get back to work.
Audiences are the life-blood of the industry and they will be a crucial part of the crowdfunding campaign by choosing from a range of available rewards whilst also creating essential jobs. The full list of awards can be found here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-little-prince-the-album
The full cast includes Richard E. Grant, Sierra Boggess, Tracie Bennett, Amara Okereke, Lorna Want, Kevin McKidd, Emma Lindars, Emma Harris, Sarah Ryan, Alison Arnopp, Janet Mooney, T’Shan Williams, John Addison, Oliver Lidert, Michael Pickering, James Gant and David Durham. All artists will appear subject to professional commitments.
Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid comment: “The Little Prince has been a source of comfort and joy, for generations of readers, since its publication in 1943 . It’s core message: “all that is essential is invisible to the eye” alludes to the intangible entities of hope and love; being all that’s required for a happy life. Music, the most ethereal and intangible of all the Arts, is the apposite form within which to tell this enigmatic and fantastical story. As we all endure this strange, cruel year – hope and love are needed more than ever. By creating a record version of Saint-Exupéry’s classic tale, we hope to provide them both – to listeners, and to the many artists this project hopes to employ”
