Adapted from the novel “Manù e Michè. Il segreto del principe” by Francesco Niccolini

Two boys live in the Great City — beautiful, seductive, filthy. Injustice and violence surround them, starting with their own relationship: one is the son of a rich and powerful prince, the other a humble palace servant. What binds them inseparably is that they were fed on the same milk — because the nurse of little Prince Emanuele is Michele’s mother, the servant. They are the same age, with opposite yet parallel lives, having grown up doing everything together: one as a spoiled and arrogant rich boy, the other as a poor boy who can only obey. Together, they are a force of nature: they are Manù and Michè. They embark on initiatory adventures every child today would dream of: street revolts, witches being burned, races in carriages and on horseback, castles and endless woods to play in, encounters with werewolves — and maybe even Bluebeard, for Prince Emanuele’s father may indeed be Bluebeard: Don Carlo. In his mind, only music, the stars, and a great secret that all the characters must face.

The Prince-to-Be is a grand adventure, a portrait of a contradictory yet immense friendship. It explores difficult discoveries: being a child and being a parent, the pain of absence, the mystery of the incomprehensible. At the same time, it celebrates precious discoveries that, even if not fully understood, make your heart beat and keep you alive: music, stars, the forest, wolves, love… and the invisible.