An IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a symphonic musical recording of The Little Prince has been launched by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D Reid.

Based on the best-selling book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince was first performed in Calgary in 2016, in association with Lamplighter.

The recording will boast an Oscar™, Olivier and Tony award-winning & nominated cast including Amara Okereke (Les Misérables), Tracie Bennett (End of the Rainbow, Follies), Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies, The Little Mermaid), Richard E Grant (Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Withnail and I), Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy, Rome) and Lorna Want (Beautiful).

The album will also feature John Addison, Alison Arnopp, David Durham, James Gant, Emma Harris, Oliver Lidert, Emma Lindars, Janet Mooney, Michael Pickering, Sarah Ryan and T’Shan Williams.

Over the course of production, the fundraiser aims to provide temporary employment for 70 artists and freelancers.

Lloyd Webber and Red said: "The Little Prince has been a source of comfort and joy, for generations of readers, since its publication in 1943 . It's core message: "all that is essential is invisible to the eye" alludes to the intangible entities of hope and love; being all that's required for a happy life.

"Music, the most ethereal and intangible of all the Arts, is the apposite form within which to tell this enigmatic and fantastical story. As we all endure this strange, cruel year - hope and love are needed more than ever. By creating a record version of Saint-Exupéry's classic tale, we hope to provide them both - to listeners, and to the many artists this project hopes to employ."

To donate to the fundraiser, please click here.