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Post by swill on Mar 13, 2022 19:25:52 GMT
I finally caught up with this and it was very much what I feared it would be in that it relied on spectacle for its success rather than actually being a solid play. It falls into the same category as The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Book of Dust. These are touristy entertainments rather than serious dramatic works. I know that sounds snobbish, but I really miss good solid plays in the West End. I think War Horse ( which I loved) has a lot to answer for. Shame you didn’t enjoy it. I think that whilst they might be touristy. COVID means that this kind of thing is reliable and could’ve been very simple and uninspired just putting the film/book on stage, but the puppetry and set is outstanding for this as well as Pi himself.
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Post by TallPaul on Mar 14, 2022 10:42:36 GMT
You couldn't move for tourists at the world-famous Crucible Theatre. I think I even heard a Rotherham accent.
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Post by dlevi on Mar 14, 2022 12:38:38 GMT
Shame you didn’t enjoy it. I think that whilst they might be touristy. COVID means that this kind of thing is reliable and could’ve been very simple and uninspired just putting the film/book on stage, but the puppetry and set is outstanding for this as well as Pi himself. I don't disagree but I feel as if we're embarking on yet another new genre of "family" entertainment in the tradition of the jukebox musical and moving further away from serious plays for serious theatregoers. T'was ever thus...
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Post by Jon on Mar 14, 2022 12:49:44 GMT
There are still solid serious plays, To Kill a Mockingbird is one for example I think you have to accept that while the West End recovers from the last two years, theatre owners will want shows that put bums on seats.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2022 13:32:28 GMT
One of my least favorite shows from my trip to London earlier this year. I found the writing and acting so stilted (particularly the actors playing the investigators from Canada and China, and Pi’s father). Lovely staging, but overall a big “meh” for me.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Mar 14, 2022 19:40:07 GMT
I finally caught up with this and it was very much what I feared it would be in that it relied on spectacle for its success rather than actually being a solid play. It falls into the same category as The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Book of Dust. These are touristy entertainments rather than serious dramatic works. I know that sounds snobbish, but I really miss good solid plays in the West End. I think War Horse ( which I loved) has a lot to answer for. To Kill A Mockingbird, Prima Facie, The Glass Menagerie, The Human Voice, The Seagull, Madhouse, Jerusalem - and that's just the commercial spaces in the next five months. Arguably the themes in LoP are even more weighty than half the 'good solid plays'. There's a whole meta-commentary about making the consequences of human evil digestible.
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Post by Jon on Mar 14, 2022 20:17:28 GMT
To Kill A Mockingbird, Prima Facie, The Glass Menagerie, The Human Voice, The Seagull, Madhouse, Jerusalem - and that's just the commercial spaces in the next five months. Arguably the themes in LoP are even more weighty than half the 'good solid plays'. There's a whole meta-commentary about making the consequences of human evil digestible. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is not exactly family friendly either!
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Post by dlevi on Mar 15, 2022 8:00:11 GMT
To Kill A Mockingbird, Prima Facie, The Glass Menagerie, The Human Voice, The Seagull, Madhouse, Jerusalem - and that's just the commercial spaces in the next five months. To be fair though, 3 of the seven are in one theatre, and all but one of them ( Mockingbird ) are limited engagements. And despite the weightiness of the themes of both "Life of Pi" and " Ocean at the End of the Lane" (as well as "War Horse" before them) I felt that the plays themselves aren't "the thing". And I'm saddened by the fact that a genuinely serious play has a hard time having an open-ended run in the West End.
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Post by Rory on Mar 15, 2022 9:01:11 GMT
To Kill A Mockingbird, Prima Facie, The Glass Menagerie, The Human Voice, The Seagull, Madhouse, Jerusalem - and that's just the commercial spaces in the next five months. To be fair though, 3 of the seven are in one theatre, and all but one of them ( Mockingbird ) are limited engagements. And despite the weightiness of the themes of both "Life of Pi" and " Ocean at the End of the Lane" (as well as "War Horse" before them) I felt that the plays themselves aren't "the thing". And I'm saddened by the fact that a genuinely serious play has a hard time having an open-ended run in the West End. I agree with you, but at the minute there are very few available West End theatres for transfers or plays, which is why places like the Ambassadors are now becoming sought after. Presently there are a lot of musicals in playhouses (e.g. The Drifters Girl at the Garrick, Jersey Boys at the Trafalgar, Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward) as was the case a few years ago. However the tides turn. There was a slate of great plays running or lined up pre covid, but in this post pandemic recovery period, producers are trying to get bums back on seats. Can't blame them but hopefully there will in short time be a return to a diverse range of good plays. Personally, I actually would love to see a brilliant version of a good play with a nice static set and no particular theatrical bells and whistles. Old school, for a change.
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Post by Jon on Mar 15, 2022 11:41:46 GMT
It was pretty rare for a serious play to be open ended even before Covid. The only serious play I can think of which ran longer than six months was The Ferryman back in 2017.
Surely it's a good thing that we have plays like Pi and Ocean which are bringing in new and younger audiences and be successful, we don't want theatres to do be dark for long periods of time.
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 26, 2022 10:11:10 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night - so imaginatively staged with some breathtaking moments and a fantastic performance from the actor playing Pi.
Some weak links for me in the cast, the dad in particular, but overall a brilliant show. 4/5
Audience behaviour was fairly good, though I did see two people filming on their phones at different points and a couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other in a very visible dress circle box. 🙄
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Post by stagebyte on Apr 2, 2022 0:00:23 GMT
Those who have seen this in London Best place to appreciate the spectacle?. Stalls or circle? Thanks
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Post by Being Alive on Apr 2, 2022 0:02:07 GMT
Those who have seen this in London Best place to appreciate the spectacle?. Stalls or circle? Thanks Circle. I gave it 4 stars because being in the 3rd row of the stalls I missed all the floor projections.
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Post by mrnutz on Apr 2, 2022 8:25:55 GMT
Those who have seen this in London Best place to appreciate the spectacle?. Stalls or circle? Thanks I was row F in the stalls and really enjoyed proximity to puppets and seeing entrances and exits via the side doors. Not sure you'd get that in the circle.
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Post by daber on Apr 2, 2022 8:57:41 GMT
Circle foe me. Floor projections are worth seeing and part of the show
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Post by mrnutz on Apr 2, 2022 10:04:51 GMT
I could see the floor well enough from row F in the stalls. 🤷🏻♂️
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Post by stagebyte on Apr 2, 2022 16:01:38 GMT
Thank you for replying
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Post by edi on Apr 2, 2022 17:21:44 GMT
I saw floor projections from row D stalls
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Post by mouseinthetheatre on Apr 9, 2022 9:07:49 GMT
Saw this last night. Show started at 8.15 to enable certain bits to be rejigged because of cast absences. First time seeing the show so not sure what that meant in practice although Alex Chang did pop up rather a lot playing at least two characters.
Found it similar in style to the 'Ocean at the end of the lane'. The show was great though, I was sat in row E of the stalls (thank you todaytix) so if I revisit I prob sit in the circle to get a better angle.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 11, 2022 9:22:22 GMT
While I'm fed up with puppets on stage, I decided that I might give this a go. I see on the website that there is a Pi alternate - does anyone know if there is a regular schedule?
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Post by fiyerorocher on Apr 11, 2022 12:05:29 GMT
Unsure of the schedule but I saw the alternate and he was, imo, better than what I saw of the principal at the Oliviers so I definitely wouldn't purposefully book to miss him!
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Post by alexanderdavies1994 on Apr 11, 2022 13:40:44 GMT
Unsure of the schedule but I saw the alternate and he was, imo, better than what I saw of the principal at the Oliviers so I definitely wouldn't purposefully book to miss him! I agree with fiyerorocher. We saw the alternate and I was more impressed with him then the Olivier performance.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2022 14:49:29 GMT
Is this supposed to be touring when it finishes at the Wyndham’s? Pretty sure Baz said that when it was announced (though that probably was pre-Covid now)
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Post by Jon on Apr 11, 2022 16:59:37 GMT
Is this supposed to be touring when it finishes at the Wyndham’s? Pretty sure Baz said that when it was announced (though that probably was pre-Covid now) I imagine it won't be touring for a while. I wonder if Broadway is on the cards as it's a known title due to the book and the film.
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Post by gmoneyoutlaw on Apr 11, 2022 17:52:40 GMT
Unsure of the schedule but I saw the alternate and he was, imo, better than what I saw of the principal at the Oliviers so I definitely wouldn't purposefully book to miss him! I agree with fiyerorocher. We saw the alternate and I was more impressed with him then the Olivier performance. I saw the alternate as well on a Monday night. I think he's on Monday nights and midweek matinee, but I noticed that for the current few weeks there are two mid-week matinees and now Mondays. I checked the website and it doesn't list a schedule. The alternate was great. The roll is extremely demanding on the body so it's understandable that the alternates goes on on. There are two alternates.
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Post by Rory on Apr 11, 2022 18:08:29 GMT
I saw it with Hiran and he was superb.
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Post by mrnutz on Apr 11, 2022 18:48:20 GMT
I saw it with Hiran and he was superb. Ditto. By far the best performer in the show.
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Post by showtoones on Apr 22, 2022 16:06:36 GMT
Do you think it’s safe to say that Hiran is going to be on either Saturday night or Friday night? (Barring holiday or Illness?)
Currently the show is booking till September but I do think it will probably extend. They should probably ride the wave as long as they can after their huge Olivier wins.
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Post by stagebyte on Apr 22, 2022 17:55:16 GMT
Do you think it’s safe to say that Hiran is going to be on either Saturday night or Friday night? (Barring holiday or Illness?) Currently the show is booking till September but I do think it will probably extend. They should probably ride the wave as long as they can after their huge Olivier wins. According to a post from whatsonstage a female understudy is currently covering his part. No reason given
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Post by joem on Apr 22, 2022 22:09:01 GMT
Payal Mistry is the actress who's taken over the role of Pi and a mighty good job she made of it on her first night. Brilliant. Funny and moving and energetic and thoughtful.
I'd actually given this a miss until tonight for the wrong reasons - although I enjoyed novel and film I thought this was being pitched at young audiences and feared it would be Cirque du Soleil with a tiger and an orangutan, all feeling and no soul. I was wrong.
The staging and conception is superb throughout, from the boat to the sea and the storms, the animals (puppets and light effects both).
Strange but not unpleasant view from one of the boxes and the staff were really very nice all across the board. Has the Covid episode made theatregoers a more prized animal in the post-Covid era?
Note to director: the cast needs to be told if this is gender-blind casting or if the sex has been changed. At present no uniformity.
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