From 6 to 8 March 2026, Teatro Celebrazioni in Bologna will host four performances of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In Bologna, one of the novels that shaped the history of Italian and European literature returns to the stage. It is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, first published in 1943.
After the extraordinary success achieved over three years, with more than 150,000 spectators, The Little Prince resumes its theatrical tour with the version directed by Stefano Genovese. A performance balanced between prose, musical theatre, circus art and installation, unfolding through the many languages offered by storytelling, music, singing, set design and performance. After all, Le Monde ranked it among the greatest books of the 20th century.
The production will be staged at Teatro Celebrazioni, in central Bologna, from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 March 2026. On Friday evening there will be a single performance at 9:00 pm; on Saturday two shows are scheduled (at 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm); and the run concludes on Sunday at 5:30 pm.
The Little Prince: the plot of the book
The Little Prince is a novel, beautifully written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, that tells the story of an encounter between an aviator who has crashed in the Sahara Desert—representing the author himself—and a mysterious child, the Little Prince, who comes from another tiny planet called asteroid B-612.
On this planet there are only three volcanoes and a rose, nothing else. The rose is beautiful, but also capricious and proud: the Little Prince cares deeply for her, but does not immediately understand how important she is to him. Confused by her behavior—her vanity and the way she sometimes treats him poorly—he decides to leave his planet, feeling hurt. In truth, he loves her, but he is too young to realize it. And so he sets off to travel through space in search of answers.
During his journey, the Little Prince visits several planets, each inhabited by a single adult. These adults represent the flaws of real grown-ups. First there is the king, who wants to rule over everyone even though he has no one to command, symbolizing the desire for power. Then comes the vain man, who wants only to be admired and represents those who live for appearances. Next is the drunkard, who drinks to forget and embodies escape from problems.
The story continues with the businessman, who counts the stars he wants to own, representing greed and obsession with numbers, and the lamplighter, a man who endlessly lights and extinguishes a streetlamp, symbolizing blind obedience without thought. Finally, there is the geographer, who writes books but never explores, representing knowledge without experience.
In his long journey, the Little Prince eventually arrives on Earth. Here he is amazed by the sheer number of people. Among his many encounters, one changes the meaning of the entire story and gives it a deeper sense: his meeting with the fox. The fox explains what it means to “tame”, that is to create a bond. She teaches him that the most important things—such as love, friendship and affection—cannot be seen, but can be felt. The Little Prince immediately thinks of his rose and understands that she is unique—not because she is different from others, but because he has taken care of her, devoted time and love to her.
So how does the book end? The Little Prince wants to return to his rose, but he is bitten by a snake and his body disappears. This is not a true death, but a return to his planet. The message is that what truly matters never dies, even if it can no longer be seen.
What Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel teaches us
The Little Prince is a story everyone knows but no one truly remembers, almost as if to prove that what its author says is true: adults never think about the things that really matter. And what are these things—the ones we are taught as children and forget once we grow up? It is precisely the Little Prince, the eternal child, who refreshes our memory. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry himself argued, images help us not to forget, to make real what would not be believed if it were only told. A remarkably modern idea, far ahead of its time in an era when photography was still in its infancy, almost predicting the importance it would come to have in our lives a century later.
The Little Prince is a book for adults, it’s true, but it is written as if it were for children. Even today, it is used in many Italian schools to illustrate important life lessons to young students.
This novel teaches children that loving someone or something means taking care of them, and that true bonds make people unique. With the phrase “what is essential is invisible to the eye”, the author explains that what makes someone or something special is the time and love we devote to it.
The book is only a fairy tale in appearance; in reality, it is a profound reflection on life, friendship, love and a sense of responsibility. Saint-Exupéry criticizes the adult world, often too focused on numbers, power and appearances, contrasting it with the pure and sincere gaze of children, and inviting each of us not to lose the child we once were. The rose symbolizes imperfect yet unique love, while the fox represents the value of bonds and of “taming,” recalling the importance of creating authentic relationships. The central message of the book invites readers to look beyond what is visible and rediscover the sensitivity and imagination that are so often lost as we grow up.
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