Theater Reviews... Life of Pi and Dancin'

with permission of Evan Silverman.

"Life of Pi"

The Gentle Soul Within.

By Robert Massimi.

"Life of Pi" at the Schoenfeld Theatre brings two powerful things to this show, sensational projections and an incredible performance by lead actor Hiran Abeysekera (Pi). Playwright Lolita Chakrararti keeps the play for the most part steadfast to the novel by Yann Martel.It takes a while in the first act to pick up steam, but when it does, it is quite moving and in-depth.

With political turmoil in India, the family which owns a zoo is setting out from Pondicherry, India to Canada for a better life. Bringing the animals along, the ship sinks and Pi is alone on a small boat with four of the zoos animals. The real question, as in the book and movie is: are the animals metaphors for people? When Pi recounts his story to the authorities, is his remembrance accurate? Pi has been on the sea for 227 days, sometimes he goes longer than a week without water. His delirium has the Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker talking to him.

The precocious Pi attends a Muslim Mosque on Friday's, a Hindu Temple on Saturdays and a Christian Church on Sunday's. To him, all religions have the same premise. In the throws of this play, it is about religion. When the Japanese representative investigating the case tells Pi that he is an Atheist, Pi tells him when he hears his story, he will believe in religion and God.

As Pi makes his way on the sea, Andrzej Goulding's video design is exceptional. The waves come crashing up against the boat as Pi navigates the Bengal tiger that is the only animal left of the four. Director Max Webster does an admirable job with a so-so ensemble cast.For the most part "Life of Pi" moves well and keeps the audience interest.Tim Lutkin's lighting takes us to the eerie depths of the sea with cool blues and onward the the bright oranges of happier days.While the puppetry by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes never wows us, the costumes by Tim Hatley (he also does the scenic design) are first rate on both accounts. The sound design is strong (Carolyn Downing), it compliments the video and staging making Pi a strong contender for a Tony for Best Play.Inline imageimage.png

robert massimi <[email protected]>

Dancin"

Not The Same Zeal as Original.

Robert Massimi.

When I originally saw "Dancin' back in 1980, it had Bob Fosse's signature on it. The show would play over four years on Broadway in two different theaters. In the recent revival, "Dancin'' is good, but not great. Under the choreography of Christine Colby Jacques (she was in the original cast of Dancin'), it lacks the pizzaz and direction to take it to a great level.

The show's first number "prologue" was encouraging in that it moved fast, was snappy and upbeat. The evening's second number "Mr. Bojangles" was stale and flat.It seemed that the whole evening went this way; one good number followed by a dull one. The only time the show had two consistent numbers was at the close of the first act with "Dancin' Man" and at the start of the second act with "Sing, Sing, Sing".

Under Wayne Cilento's direction/musical staging, the cast was out of sync at times; dancers made mistakes in the ensemble dancing. The dialogue was never moving and the acting was average at best.Under Fosse, the show popped and was tight and vibrant. With the exception of a few standouts (Peter John Chursin, Karli Dinardo, Mattie Love, Tony d'Alelio and Neka Zang) the dancers were uninspiring; some do not even belong on a Broadway stage and as such, they brought down the show to average.

Some of the strong points to the performance were the costume design by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung, and the lighting design by David Grill. The costumes were deft and some of the best I have seen this theater season. In the lighting we had a range that supported the show nicely, as it was crisp and on point.

"Dancin '' ' will appeal to the modern dance lover. It will even appeal to an audience that loves dance in all forms. It just wasn't up to the standards of the great Bob Fosse. For those who reveled in its originality, today's "Dancin' " just can't cut the muster of yesteryear.

Jesse Ferguson, Sweeney Todd, Hamilton, www.gimmeshelterproductions.com, www.trivisco.com, New York Lifestyles Magazine, Metropolitan Magazine, Nimbus Magazine, "The Gathering", "A Life in The Rye", Swingtime Canteen", "The Life of Pi", Josh Groben, "Funny Girl", "Some Like it Hot", Jack Lemon, Marylin Monroe, Tony Curtis, Nathan Lane, CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg News, www.nypost.com, www.nytimes.com, New York, NY, Robert Massimi, RMNY, "Dancin", Bad Cinderella, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Broadway, Tony Awards.

Robert Massimi writes for Metropolitan Magazine, New York Lifestyles Magazine, Nimbus Magazine and Mann About Town. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild and The English Speaking Union. He has produced 14 shows on and off Broadway.