CMU School of Drama


Friday, October 28, 2022

“Life of Pi” Stage Adaptation Is Coming To Broadway In Spring

www.ticketnews.com: Currently running at Wyndam’s Theatre in West End, London, Life of Pi is set to perform on Broadway in 2023 spring. Yann Martel’s best-selling novel of the same title was adapted to theater by Lolita Chakrabarti and premiered in London in 2021, receiving five Olivier Awards which stand for annual theater awards celebrating world-class theater in London.

2 comments:

Melissa L said...

This is exciting. I haven't read the book, but I vividly remember the movie. What a daunting feat this must have been to adapt the story for the stage! And yet, now I can only think that this story should be on the stage. I consistently appear to be intrigued and impressed by the work coming out of the West End, so I'm glad that this production is making its way to the states. I'd love to see it, especially because the story centers around a character of the global majority and the story was adapted by a woman of color. I'm also just insanely curious about the award-winning puppetry. How wonderful that all seven artists who manipulated the tiger puppet received a best supporting actor award! Without even seeing the play and the artistry, I hope the Tonys likewise recognizes the work. I was talking to a couple of peers recently, and we were in agreement that Broadway needs to make more room for new and exciting works, less revivals. This certainly fills that bill.

Sidney Rubinowicz said...

This is really intriguing. I have seen the movie of “Life of Pi” and I remember enjoying it, but thinking it was a bit slow. From what I can recall, the story mostly takes place on the boat, so I wonder if the stage adaptation will be more abstract. The use of puppetry sounds like an excellent choice for a story in which most of the cast are animals. This play seems to have a beautiful, cohesive design that prioritizes the story being told. I’m also curious as to the amount of productions that begin on the West End and transfer to Broadway, and how much the audience base differs. Just because a show does well in one city, can we guarantee it will do well in the other? There’s probably more strategy to this than I’m aware of, but something to consider. I guess we’ll see in March when it opens in New York City.