In the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
by Oscar Wilde
adapted by Gabriel Lewis & Michael Greenlake
directed by Bob Flanagan
March 7 – April 4, 1999
In a town where a lot of poor people suffer, a swallow who was left behind after his flock flew off to Egypt for the winter meets the statue of the late “Happy Prince”, who in reality has never experienced true happiness. Viewing various scenes of people suffering in poverty from his tall monument, the Happy Prince asks the swallow to take the ruby from his hilt, the sapphires from his eyes, and the golden leaf covering his body to give to the poor. As the winter comes and the Happy Prince is stripped of all of his beauty, his lead heart breaks when the swallow dies as a result of his selfless deeds and severe cold. The statue is then torn down and melted leaving behind the broken heart and the dead swallow. These are taken up to heaven by an angel that has deemed them the two most precious things in the city.
“enchantment in its purest form… an enormously enjoyable work, as satisfying to adults as it is to the children for whom it was ostensibly intended.” –Irish Echo