World premier plays transfer from Steppenwolf or the Goodman to New York on a fairly regular basis, and it is always fun for Chicago theater fans to know that we saw it first. However, seeing an exceptional show like Grey House make that transfer is even more exciting given that it premiered at Red Orchid, a quintessential storefront theater – its performance space on Wells is so intimate that a large percentage of the audience could touch the actors by extending their arms.
With each rereading, I find that Yann Martel’s breakthrough novel Life of Pi (published in 2001) provides more to discover within the original voice of its narrator. Pi is endlessly optimistic despite the tragedy that leaves him orphaned from his family. His knowledge of the natural world provides a slim thread of plausibility to his tale about being stranded on a boat with four animals. Also, his faith as an Islamic Christian Hindu focuses on peace and inclusivity for all (it’s the agnostics, Pi says, that confuse him because they won’t make a choice).
Continue reading “Life of Pi – Broadway’s Schoenfeld Theater (7/18/23)”
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