Theatre Review

THEATRE REVIEWS

Life Of Pi At The Wyndham Theatre

I expected the new West End show ‘Life of Pi’ to be mesmerising, but it was much, much more.

The ‘Life of Pi’ is a masterpiece of theatre. It’s stupendifying and brilliant on every level. From the amazing sets, to the fantastic story, to the great acting - it’s a show that will not only take your breathe away, but will also enthrall and entertain you.

Based on the 2001 book ‘Life of Pi’ by Canadian Yann Martel (and turned into a 2012 movie directed by Ang Lee, winning 4 Academy Awards), the story revolves around 16 year old Pi (Piscine) - played by Hiran Abeysekera, an Indian boy who is the only survivor of a shipwreck and who survives on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal Tiger (named by Pi as Richard Parker).

But the brilliant narrative of the show flips back and forth from when Pi is in a Mexican hospital being overseen by two Canadian psychiatric investigators in 1979 and the telling of how he got there, to how Pi and his family had a zoo and acquired said Bengal tiger, and how they packed it all up to go to Canada on said ship. But things don’t go as expected. After the shipwreck that kills his whole entire family there are only five survivors; Pi, Richard Parker, a hyena, a zebra and an orangutang. But are these actual animals or a figment of Pi’s imagination? What did he really experience, and see, while he was stranded on the lifeboat? And what caused the ship to sink? This is what the investigators want to find out.

‘Life of Pi’ is an epic adaptation of the book and movie. The sets change almost constantly, from the hospital room to the zoo, to a busy street market, and to the life raft that Pi is stuck on. And the animals are cleverly held and manipulated by human handlers - you almost don’t notice the humans because the animals seem so real. But it’s Abeysekera who spellbinds us with his performance. Literally leapfrogging from bed to the boat to the zoo and everywhere in between, Abeysekera gives an epic performance in a show, that while only runs for just over two hours, is one that will stick with you for a long time to come.

‘The Life of Pi’ is one of the most amazing shows to hit the West End in years, it is simply fantastic and Abeysekera is superb.

Now playing at the Wyndham Theatre until February 27th, 2022.

www.lifeofpionstage.com

By Tim Baros

Magic Goes Wrong At The Apollo Theatre

Are you ready for a bit of magic in the West End? Well then look no further than ‘Magic Goes Wrong’.

From the magic pens of Mischief Theatre and world famous magicians Penn & Teller, ‘Magic Goes Wrong’ introduces audiences to magic comedy theatre - funny skits that throw in magic tricks, some obvious and some not, all performed by not so serious performers in a show that’s meant to be lightweight as well as a fun night out at the theatre.

‘Magic Goes Wrong’ jokingly stages itself as a fundraiser for Disasters in Magic Charity Fundraiser, and there are indeed a few magic disasters on stage. We are promised a night of fun, blood, partial nudity, among others - and we get it! Emcee Sophisticato (Shane DavidJoseph) ‘holds’ the fundraiser in honour of his late father, but is there something, like a clue, in his late father’s magic wand stick that Sophisticato has missed?

The Mind Mangler (Henry Lewis) attempts to guess audience members names, and makes fun of their occupations. This is a warning that if you sit near the front row you will be picked on. There is also Louise Beresford as Peg, who unfortunately gets sawn in half, and a Mother daughter duo who are a winning combination. Meanwhile, The Blade (Kazeem Tosin-Amore) has the unfortunate luck to be maimed, shot and drowned - all in the span of 2 1/2 hours. And Mel (Scott Hunter) spends the entire time trying to do his magic act, but no one will let him - Poor Mel.

From the same team that brought us the hilarious ‘The Play That Goes Wrong,’ ‘Magic Goes Wrong,’ now playing at the legendary Apollo Theatre, will make you forget about what’s happening in the real world (we all need that about now).

‘Magic Goes Wrong’ is now playing until 27th February 2022, with 200 tickets available for £20 each and every Tuesday, and this is no trick!

Performance times:

Tues-Fri: 7:30pm Saturdays: 2:30pm & 7:30pm Sunday: 3pm & 7:30pm

www.mischiefcomedy.com/magic-goeswrong-london/london