THEATRE REVIEW: "Life of Pi" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (New York, NY)

      On April 19th, 2023, I saw the 2pm performance of the play "Life of Pi" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City after winning the Telecharge ticket lottery.  "Life of Pi" is based on the novel by Yann Martel (which I recently finished reading), and was adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti.  The play made its World Premiere debut at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, where it ran from June 28th through July 20th, 2019.  The West-End Production ran at the Wyndham's Theatre from November 15th, 2021 through January 15th, 2023.  The North American Premiere of "Life of Pi" ran from December 6th, 2022 through January 29th, 2023 at the Loeb Drama Center (of the American Repertory Theater) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Previews for the Broadway Production began on March 9th, 2023.  The Broadway Production of "Life of Pi" officially opened on March 30th, 2023.

      The cast of "Life of Pi" included, but was not limited to, Hiran Abeysekera (Pi), Adi Dixit (Pi Alternate for Tuesday Evenings), Brian Thomas Abraham (Cook/Voice of Richard Parker), Rajesh Bose (Father), Avery Glymph (Father Martin/Russian Sailor/Admiral Jackson), Mahira Kakkar (Nurse/Amma/Orange Juice), Kirstin Louie (Lulu Chen), Salma Quarnain (Mrs. Biology Kumar/Zaida Khan), Daisuke Tsuji (Mr. Okamoto/Captain), and Sonya Venugopal (Rani).  Hiran Abeysekera played the role of Pi in the West End production of "Life of Pi." He also played the role of Pi in the World Premiere Production at The Crucible Theatre.  Hiran Abeysekera won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Pi in the West-End Production.  Puppeteers Fred Davis and Scarlet Wilderink both won an Olivier Award for their shared portrayal of the Bengal Tiger (Rochard Parker), and also reprised the role in the Broadway Production. 

The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on April 19th, 2023 (I took this photo).

     

     This was a great show.  One of the components of the play that made it so great was the scenic and costume design, both of which were by Tim Hatley.  But there was more to the spectacle than the scenery and costumes.  Similar to "The Lion King" (which I saw) and "War Horse" (Which I didn't see), a lot of the brilliance is found in the puppetry.  The puppet design for "Life of Pi" was by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell; the puppetry and movement direction was by Finn Caldwell.  The video design and animation was by Andrzej Goulding, while the lighting was designed by Tim Lutkin.  Max Webster directed the production.

     My dad read the book "Life of Pi" a few years ago, and saw the movie.  He enjoyed them both, and recommended them to me when I told him I was going to see the play.  So I checked out the ebook the same day I was going to see the show.  Naturally, I got a little confused keeping track of what scenes were in the book and what scenes were in the play.  However, I did notice that some characters were added to the play and some were combined or nearly omitted in the process.  I finished the book on April 22nd.  I started watching the movie the same day.  I could spend some time comparing and contrasting the book, movie, and play, but I don't want to give too much away.  One difference I will mention is that in the book Pi had a brother, while he had a sister in the play.

A view of the stage from my seat (I took this photo).

     

     

     The seat I had was great.  It was hardly off to the side.  It was in the orchestra level, just three rows back from the stage.  While I was unable to see what was going on with the stage floor (or lack thereof, at times), I could see the emotion on the actors' faces.  I could also see the brilliant intricacies of the puppets.  I loved that the lifeboat revolved on the stage.  Oh, me and my fondness for revolving stages.

    

     When I found out that "Life of Pi" was barely over two hours, and included an intermission, I was delighted.  Intermission aside, this meant I could take an earlier train back home.  My mom willingly picks me up when the later trains arrive at the station, but this time, the train got in so much earlier.  Plus, I even had time to get a burger in Times Square before walking the rest of the way to Grand Central Station.  I ate some of the burger while walking, during which time I was only mildly self-conscious.  However, I was glad overall because the burger was delicious.

     "Life of Pi" is a very emotional play, while featuring humor that is interspersed throughout the play to make it bearable and not too heartbreaking.  Also in the play is Pi's quest to be connected to God, as he becomes Christian and Muslim, having already been born and raised Hindu.  Add to that being raised and influenced by intellectuals as well as faith-based figures.  It is possible that such a delicate (or undelicate) balance helped him survive at sea.  But at what cost?  I'd bring up the production cost of "Life of Pi" at this point, but that's really none of my business. 

The company of "Life of Pi" (photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman).

     "Life of Pi" is one of very few plays (as opposed to musicals) I've seen in New York.  The only other plays I've seen here were off-Broadway shows.  Recently I won the Telecharge ticket lottery for the Tom Stoppard play "Leopoldstadt," but decided not to go see it.  That show is two hours long, but has no intermission.  It's gotten good reviews though.  I think I chose wisely as far as seeing "Life of Pi" instead.  I loved the story as well as the stage craft and visual effects.  I doubt I will see it again, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't if given the chance.  There are just so many other shows playing right now.  Plus, I'm seeing "Sweeney Todd" for my birthday.  Also, I want to see "Grey House."  I do not regret seeing "Life of Pi."  I loved the play as well as the book.

     Initially, I didn't know if "Life of Pi" would make for a decent National Tour, or even a possible one.  At least, that was my notion before finding out that a UK/Ireland Tour of "Life of Pi" will be launching on August 28th, 2023.  The engagements in each city will only be one to two weeks in duration, so I wonder if the tour has a less extensive scenic design.  Hopefully not.  If so, I'm glad I got to see this amazing show on Broadway.  Also, I forgot to mention that the sound design for the Broadway Production of "Life of Pi" was by Carolyn Downing.  I mention this because she might have enhanced the animal sounds I thought the puppeteers made by themselves, such as the roar of the Bengal Tiger/Richard Parker.  If so, it was quite impressive. 

Hiran Abeysekera as Pi.  Also in the picture are puppeteers Fred Davis, Scarlet Wilderink, and Andrew Wilson (photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman).