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Friday, April 07, 2023
‘Life of Pi’ cast shares the ‘magic’ of the production’s puppetry
Broadway News: “Life of Pi” has arrived on Broadway. Lolita Chakrabarti’s theatrical retelling of Yann Martel’s novel opened on March 30 at the Schoenfeld Theatre.
8 comments:
Sukie Wang
said...
Although I didn’t fit the chance to see the life of pi in person, its designs and crafts often fascinates me. The art of puppetry is such a fascinating and complex form of art, On stage where there is complex lights and movement around it, it still need to look life like and react to the characters on stage’s action and performances. These puppets that had been made out and crates in such a huge scale requires an extreme amount of details and elements to look life like. I have always been interested in the art of puppetry and the process of making them. This article introduced me into the history of puppetry. In addition, it help me to realize in how puppets on stage would work with sound, lights and set to make it look good. Puppets are such powerful and incredible form of art on stage and in performances.
This is a topic that really intrigues me. Puppets seem incredibly complex as it is not only something that is crafted and has to be carefully made, but is also worn and used by the actor, and they have to then choreograph with it and bring it to live with believability. But it is such an art that is rooted in mechanics and that is something that I find to be fascinating. I think that I would enjoy getting to think through how to make one and all of the connection points and necessary movements. It’s also interesting to think about how this show would likely feel entirely different if the tiger weren’t a puppet; if the tiger were a projected image instead, it would look and feel entirely different to both the cast and the audience. I would love to go and see this production, it seems like it is unlike many others that are popular right now.
Unfortunately, I also haven’t had the chance to see ‘Life of Pi’ on Broadway yet, but I’ve definitely seen short videos and heard stories about the show’s advanced puppeteer. I was really impressed when I heard the entire puppeteer team received the Olivier Award – I thought it was a true demonstration of teamwork and collaboration. From the production images I’ve seen so far, I think there is a high level of synchronisation between all departments, which worked alongside each other to create something visually connected. It also made me think of the extent to which the puppeteers are involved in the performance –the show wouldn’t happen without them, but are they considered cast, technical personnel or crew? Especially for a show like this where the puppeteer is very much seen and I assume also has to ‘act’. Do they have to be trained on how to act on stage on top of manipulating the puppets? I’m sure there are proper guidelines in the industry, but this thought is so intriguing.
making a character believable on stage is hard enough in theater, but the magic of puppetry and convincing the audience that something evidently nonhuman is alive is even harder. One show that I found does this really well is lion king where they create puppets out of people, however, this does not work in life of pi, because there are human characters within the story. I have not had the luxury of seeing the show yet, but I hope to in the near future. However, the clips I have seen online proves to me that they have done an incredible job, hiring puppeteers and creating masterful puppets that do not break the illusion of the show. I hope that the actors who managed the puppets are in proper physical therapy as I have heard that that can become such a physical demand that the actors get permanent damages if they are not. I also wonder how often the puppet needs to be repaired or replaced and who’s job that is. I bet the show has specific technicians in charge of puppets. But, did the designs come from costumes? Lots to think about.
I really wish that I could go see Life of Pi on Broadway but that is just not very feasible for me so I will just have to stick with reading articles about it. Recently I have become more and more interested in how puppets are made and used in different shows and it seems like in this show in particular they are really really impactful on not only the audience but the actors as well. I did not know that there were multiple puppets in Life of Pi but now knowing so it has made me want to see the show even more to see the differences and similarities in said puppets. Overall, I am just very interested in seeing really how this show was put together and how everything is done in the show, specifically the technical elements. I know that some of the set is made to come up out of the stage deck which I find fascinating. To see how they do the transitions between additional scenic elements and the scenery from the stage deck with the aid of video and media design is very intriguing to me.
I’ve always found puppetry really interesting in that it’s much more than a costume in some inexplicable way. The puppeteers that bring the puppet to life have a sort of strange job in that they’re playing a character without necessarily being the face of that character. The puppetry in Life of Pi looks amazing, and I can only imagine how incredible it is in person. Life of Pi itself is a really powerful story; I would think that it’s the perfect candidate for being made into a play. I was surprised to see that the story starts with the sinking of the cargo ship, though. I think that the first part of the story that takes place in India is so integral to the rest of the story. I would love to see how the design team achieved the different settings, like the ocean or the carnivorous island. I hope that someday I can see this play on Broadway.
Life of Pi is a show that I’m so excited to see especially since I love the movie so much and the book. I was really excited when I heard they’re doing puppets for the show because I feel like that’s essential to the show. But I could never imagine how they did this because it literally took my breath away. They talked about the article, the emotional impact that audiences will feel every night. I feel like you feel that just from seeing the promos for it and the marketing. It is incredible the production aspect of the show whether it’s puppet, whether it’s the set or VMD. It brings it all together and leaves you shocked. I also really liked how they talked about the puppets affecting the plot and where they’re set on the stage. I feel like that was really interesting to read about the sounds in the relationships they have with other characters. Overall the article was very interesting, because it really dive deeper into how important the puppets are in the show and how they work, what went into them, and how audiences will feel about them.
While I haven’t had the chance to see Life of Pi on Broadway, all of the clips I have seen of it have been nothing short of magical. The way the scenic elements are leveraged as a part of telling the story is beautiful, and the puppets are a crucial part of that storytelling. I love the idea of “bringing an object to life through breath,” - as these puppets are such a living, breathing part of the show and are in many ways just as living as the human actors on the stage with them. The way all of the elements of this show mesh together is incredibly impressive, and the puppets, as mentioned in the article, must often take the audience by surprise by how affecting they can be. Even the still from the show in the article conveys an incredible amount of emotion through the harmony all of the technical elements achieve.
8 comments:
Although I didn’t fit the chance to see the life of pi in person, its designs and crafts often fascinates me. The art of puppetry is such a fascinating and complex form of art, On stage where there is complex lights and movement around it, it still need to look life like and react to the characters on stage’s action and performances. These puppets that had been made out and crates in such a huge scale requires an extreme amount of details and elements to look life like. I have always been interested in the art of puppetry and the process of making them. This article introduced me into the history of puppetry. In addition, it help me to realize in how puppets on stage would work with sound, lights and set to make it look good. Puppets are such powerful and incredible form of art on stage and in performances.
This is a topic that really intrigues me. Puppets seem incredibly complex as it is not only something that is crafted and has to be carefully made, but is also worn and used by the actor, and they have to then choreograph with it and bring it to live with believability. But it is such an art that is rooted in mechanics and that is something that I find to be fascinating. I think that I would enjoy getting to think through how to make one and all of the connection points and necessary movements. It’s also interesting to think about how this show would likely feel entirely different if the tiger weren’t a puppet; if the tiger were a projected image instead, it would look and feel entirely different to both the cast and the audience. I would love to go and see this production, it seems like it is unlike many others that are popular right now.
Unfortunately, I also haven’t had the chance to see ‘Life of Pi’ on Broadway yet, but I’ve definitely seen short videos and heard stories about the show’s advanced puppeteer. I was really impressed when I heard the entire puppeteer team received the Olivier Award – I thought it was a true demonstration of teamwork and collaboration. From the production images I’ve seen so far, I think there is a high level of synchronisation between all departments, which worked alongside each other to create something visually connected. It also made me think of the extent to which the puppeteers are involved in the performance –the show wouldn’t happen without them, but are they considered cast, technical personnel or crew? Especially for a show like this where the puppeteer is very much seen and I assume also has to ‘act’. Do they have to be trained on how to act on stage on top of manipulating the puppets? I’m sure there are proper guidelines in the industry, but this thought is so intriguing.
making a character believable on stage is hard enough in theater, but the magic of puppetry and convincing the audience that something evidently nonhuman is alive is even harder. One show that I found does this really well is lion king where they create puppets out of people, however, this does not work in life of pi, because there are human characters within the story. I have not had the luxury of seeing the show yet, but I hope to in the near future. However, the clips I have seen online proves to me that they have done an incredible job, hiring puppeteers and creating masterful puppets that do not break the illusion of the show. I hope that the actors who managed the puppets are in proper physical therapy as I have heard that that can become such a physical demand that the actors get permanent damages if they are not. I also wonder how often the puppet needs to be repaired or replaced and who’s job that is. I bet the show has specific technicians in charge of puppets. But, did the designs come from costumes? Lots to think about.
I really wish that I could go see Life of Pi on Broadway but that is just not very feasible for me so I will just have to stick with reading articles about it. Recently I have become more and more interested in how puppets are made and used in different shows and it seems like in this show in particular they are really really impactful on not only the audience but the actors as well. I did not know that there were multiple puppets in Life of Pi but now knowing so it has made me want to see the show even more to see the differences and similarities in said puppets. Overall, I am just very interested in seeing really how this show was put together and how everything is done in the show, specifically the technical elements. I know that some of the set is made to come up out of the stage deck which I find fascinating. To see how they do the transitions between additional scenic elements and the scenery from the stage deck with the aid of video and media design is very intriguing to me.
I’ve always found puppetry really interesting in that it’s much more than a costume in some inexplicable way. The puppeteers that bring the puppet to life have a sort of strange job in that they’re playing a character without necessarily being the face of that character. The puppetry in Life of Pi looks amazing, and I can only imagine how incredible it is in person. Life of Pi itself is a really powerful story; I would think that it’s the perfect candidate for being made into a play. I was surprised to see that the story starts with the sinking of the cargo ship, though. I think that the first part of the story that takes place in India is so integral to the rest of the story. I would love to see how the design team achieved the different settings, like the ocean or the carnivorous island. I hope that someday I can see this play on Broadway.
Life of Pi is a show that I’m so excited to see especially since I love the movie so much and the book. I was really excited when I heard they’re doing puppets for the show because I feel like that’s essential to the show. But I could never imagine how they did this because it literally took my breath away. They talked about the article, the emotional impact that audiences will feel every night. I feel like you feel that just from seeing the promos for it and the marketing. It is incredible the production aspect of the show whether it’s puppet, whether it’s the set or VMD. It brings it all together and leaves you shocked. I also really liked how they talked about the puppets affecting the plot and where they’re set on the stage. I feel like that was really interesting to read about the sounds in the relationships they have with other characters. Overall the article was very interesting, because it really dive deeper into how important the puppets are in the show and how they work, what went into them, and how audiences will feel about them.
While I haven’t had the chance to see Life of Pi on Broadway, all of the clips I have seen of it have been nothing short of magical. The way the scenic elements are leveraged as a part of telling the story is beautiful, and the puppets are a crucial part of that storytelling. I love the idea of “bringing an object to life through breath,” - as these puppets are such a living, breathing part of the show and are in many ways just as living as the human actors on the stage with them. The way all of the elements of this show mesh together is incredibly impressive, and the puppets, as mentioned in the article, must often take the audience by surprise by how affecting they can be. Even the still from the show in the article conveys an incredible amount of emotion through the harmony all of the technical elements achieve.
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