criticalrant.com Alexandra Bonifield

Jaxon Beeson as The Little Prince in “Laughter in the Stars”

“On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. “(One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.)

An intelligent, creative, intrepid young prince from a planet the size of a house embarks on a hero’s journey across the universe and finds himself on Earth, where he befriends a 1940’s aviator who has just crashed his plane in the Sahara desert.  The aviator, or pilot, becomes the adventure’s narrator, describing the remarkable encounters the young prince has with fantastical beings, each teaching them both important life lessons. The outward journey becomes an inward one, where both man and boy learn about loneliness, responsibility, honor, love and sacrifice. When the young prince realizes the pilot is dying of thirst, he leads him to a refreshing well. He then makes an ultimate sacrifice of himself for love, leaving his devoted friend behind to share their experience with the world.

Jeff Swearingen’s Fun House Theatre and Film Productions presents “Laughter in the Stars”, an original stage adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 beloved, fanciful novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), running for six performances Thursday 6/28 through Sunday 7/1 at Plano Children’s Theatre, 1301 Custer Road, Suite 706, Plano, TX 75075. www.funhousetheatreandfilm.com

Directed by Swearingen, the production allows him to incorporate his unique gifts as a physical actor and coach in a world-class fantasy environment provided by the internationally celebrated novella. The Little Prince is the French language’s most read and translated book ever and has sold over 200 million copies world-wide, appearing in more than 250 languages and dialects.

The Pilot: “There standing before me was a little boy dressed as a prince!”

The production’s supreme challenge is finding a child actor who can portray the Little Prince effectively. “To a child, the line load alone makes the role comparable to Hamlet”, explains Swearingen. Over the past few years, 11-year-old Jaxon Beeson has excelled as a versatile actor in FunHouse Theatre Productions and earned positive notice in a featured role in professional Echo Theatre’s acclaimed The Executioner’s Sons. Jaxon’s father Shane Beeson performs regularly on stage in the DFW metroplex, which gave Swearingen an idea. “Laughter in the Stars” will feature the creative talents and unique father/son bond of Jaxon and Shane Beeson as the Little Prince and the Pilot.

Father/son acting duo: Shane & Jaxon Beeson

Jaxon and Shane shared about this upcoming stage experience over a pancake breakfast recently.

How did you get into theatre?

Jaxon: “I had seen a lot of my dad’s plays, and it seemed so normal. When I was 7, I played “Big Bad” in The Big Bad Wolf at Plano Children’s Theatre. The rehearsals were tough, but I really like performing. It’s fun to work with friends on stage! I started studying with Jeff Swearingen and performing in his plays. I want to keep doing this.”

Shane: “ At Jesuit Prep School I didn’t participate in school drama; but I toured with a Planned Parenthood sponsored educational outreach program dealing with teen-age issues. After graduating, from college, I toured with a Shakespeare company performing a rotating repertory of his works, for youth audiences. In the 90’s I performed all over the DFW metroplex.  After a stint on New York City’s Wall Street, I returned with my wife and son to Dallas. I have continued performing here since 2004, from FIT Festivals at the Bath House Cultural Center to “Noises Off” at Theatre Arlington. This is my first chance to perform on stage with Jaxon. It’s really exciting to share this activity with him.”

What’s the best part of this play and the hardest part?

Jaxon: “ I love history; it’s fun to learn about the past. Working with my dad and Jeff Swearingen and Andy Baldwin in this play has taught me a lot about acting. It’s really hard to remember all those lines! I get so tired. My dad memorizes easily; he helps me every night. He’s good as the Pilot, but he’s still my Dad. It’s all worth it; it feels good when people enjoy our performance.”

Jaxon Beeson (The Little Prince) with Andy Baldwin (The Snake)

Shane: “The message and the profound meaning of this play—I hope people resonate with its beauty and innocence, the purity of the love it expresses. I agree, it’s wonderful and challenging to be on stage with real pros like Jeff Swearingen and Andy Baldwin… and also Jaxon Beeson! The hardest part is going to be the play’s end, when The Little Prince leaves me.  I’ll probably shed real tears every performance.”

Shane Beeson has a deeper understanding of life-threatening loss than many people. On 9-11 he was working on the 28^th floor of an office building next to the Twin Towers. When the second plane hit, people on his floor began screaming, “They’re bombing the building.” He and his co-workers fled in blind terror and hid in an underground parking garage barely able to breathe, lucky to survive. They ran so fast, he left his cell phone behind. Unknown to him, his wife could see the disaster erupt on her way to work and could not reach him for hours, fearing the worst. When he finally got to the safety of his home with his wife and baby Jaxon, he found small shards of torn airplane metal in his hair. Badly shaken, they returned to Dallas soon after, with a new appreciation for the value of life and love and the importance of living every moment. Shane hopes he brings something of this transcendent awareness to every role he performs.

Pilot to Little Prince: “What makes you so beautiful is your loyalty to a flower, the image of a rose shines through you like a flame in a lamp…even when you sleep.”

“Laughter in the Stars”, an original adaptation of The Little Prince, directed by Jeff Swearingen, features the dynamic talents of the Beesons, Swearingen and Andy Baldwin. A lyrical, minimalist set,  inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s line drawings in his book and the sweeping dunes of the Sahara desert, with projected expressionistic imagery and animation, will help create a fantasy stage world to remember. Fall in love with one of the world’s most celebrated, young heroes.

Runs: Thursday 6/28 through Sunday 7/1 at Plano Children’s Theatre, 1301 Custer Road, Suite 706, Plano, TX 75075.

 Tickets: 214-564-5015; online www.funhousetheatreandfilm.com

Youtube trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1IJeU4-VIs

Cover art for The Little Prince