My wife and I saw two theatrical productions, Once on This Island and Life of Pi, in February 2025.
I saw the movie Life of Pi when it was released a dozen years ago. The play format, which I saw at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, was much more convincing than the film version with Pi telling the reporter.
As the Times Union review notes, “From within the high, drab walls of an infirmary in Mexico, the teenaged Pi recounts how he survived a shipwreck for 227 days aboard a lifeboat with nothing but a net, an oar, a small rations box, and a hyena, orangutan, zebra and a massive Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.”
The set transforms into the zoo the Patels owned in 1970s Pondicherry, India. Pi commits to Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, much to the consternation of his family.
Because of political unrest, known as The Emergency, the Patels and their animals are aboard a Japanese cargo ship heading to Canada. But the shipwreck leaves Pi with a menagerie of animals, some of which off each other. A hyena threatens Pi, but Richard Parker kills the hyena, leaving the teen and the large feline.
The animals are rendered as extraordinary puppets designed by Finn Caldwell and Nick Parker. The puppeteers are very good, though when there are more than a couple of animals in the scene, it gets a little crowded, and the magic of the puppetry somewhat diminishes.
Still, the play worked better than the film, I think, as it better addressed the issues of faith and sanity. It’s worth seeing if it comes to your area before August 2025.
Caribbean
In February 2020, my family attended a production of Once on This Island at Proctor’s Theatre, which I wrote about here. Then, in early March, my church performed a “junior version.”
This time, the production took place on the main stage at Capital Rep in Albany. But it was not a Cap Rep production. Instead, it was produced by the Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York (BTTUNY). We had previously seen Berta, Berta on Cap Rep’s stage upstairs.
Maybe it was the more intimate surroundings or the sophistication of the audience. This audience seemed more honed in on the sexual nuance of the dialogue and was more vocal about expressing it. The guy behind me called the character Daniel “you dog!”, which was true. A lot of “oooh!” took place.
Here’s part of a Metroland review, which I agreed with: “The Gods taking up four platforms Upstage… the masterful Jahmere Holland as Agwé, god of water, wearing… flowing, rippling scraps of blue. Quanair “Qiana” Rice is the earth mother promising ‘Mama Will Provide’ in a roof-raising performance to close the first act. Regina Robinson is the regal god of love, Erzulie, holding her position and headdress perfectly pointed to Heaven, triumphant. Vanessa Clay as Papa Ge, the demon of Death, was… simply magnificent; fearsome, powerful and mischievously loving her complete dominion over all.” The leads were also strong.
The last BTTUNY production of the season will be Eclipsed by Danai Gurira from May 29 to June 8 in TheRep’s Iselin Studio.
My church is performing Once Upon This Island Jr., a simplified version of the musical set on an island in the French Antilles at night during a storm.