Some stories belong neither to time nor to space. They simply come, quietly, gently, almost imperceptibly and leave a mark that does not fade. Exactly such a story happened in Belgrade in February 2025, when the legendary musical The Little Prince, inspired by the unforgettable work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was performed for the first time in the Sava Center. From February 20 to 23, in the Blue Hall, sentences and musical numbers were not only followed, but starscapes, the sands of the planets, the smiles of roses and the silence of lonely asteroids spread. Belgrade was not just an audience, but everyone traveled together through the universe of imagination and emotions. The adaptation of the book, which sold more than 200 million copies and was translated into more than 300 languages, arrived in our city as a visual-poetic spectacle full of dance, acrobatics, music and light effects. The performance was part of a large international tour that visited Broadway, Paris, Dubai, Shanghai and Sydney, and the Sava Center was chosen to host this star caravan in Serbia. The director is Anne Johnson, while the role of the Little Prince was played by Lionel Jacques, with the artistic accompaniment of performers from ten different countries. The play was performed in English with subtitles, but the core of this experience was not the narration but the emotion, the elusive thing that makes The Little Prince eternal and timeless.
In those days, the Sava Center turned into a space capsule, and the scene breathed in the rhythm of light choreography, 3D animations, floating elements and movements that exceeded the limits of everyday experience. At one point the whole hall was filled with swaying stars of light moving in time to the music, and then, suddenly, the Rose would appear or a plane would land on the stage in the silence of the sandy Sahara. This spectacle is not remembered for its plot because it was not a linear performance but a poetic installation in motion, with music that gently scratched the memory of everyone who once read that little, big book.
The audience was made up of generations who came together in a shared experience, children who were just getting to know the Little Prince and adults who rediscovered him. And when the famous sentence "One sees well only with the heart. The essence is invisible to the eyes" was spoken, there was a silence that did not come from respect, but from a deep mutual understanding. Many left the hall in silence, not because they weren't
had something to say, but because words were no longer needed. Each of them took their own little star with them, somewhere in their thoughts, staying for some time on that invisible journey.
