Gordon and I went to the Ahmanson last night to see Life of Pi. I didn’t want to go. I was tired, cranky, and getting over a cold. The last thing I wanted to do was fight my way through a crowd of art farts . But we’d paid for the tickets and we can’t waste a thing. When we got to our seats, we found a compass and a ‘thank you’ note for our contributions to the Center Theater Group. I was surprised to see the box still in our seats. We used to get chocolates– at least most of the time. Once our chocolates got taken, along with our seats, by an entitled mamma. She put her kids in our seats and suggested that the kids should stay there because they preferred them to the ones they’d paid for. I declined the offer to take lesser seats. We ended up calling an usher. Boy, the chutzpa of the Great Entitled in Los Angeles can be breathtaking. Anway, the compass was supposed to guide us back to the theater or something like that. It actually works although I don’t know what we’ll use it for. Cute freebie but I think I’d get more use out of a Tshirt. Maybe I’ll suggest it.
Back to the show. Life of Pi is about trauma and the resilience of the human spirit. I won’t reveal any more of the plot because I don’t want to spoil it for potential theater goers so I’ll just say I think there’s a little Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger, in all of us. That’s what allows us to survive. I found it very moving. I’d seen the movie and wasn’t sure how they’d pull things off. The sets and FX were amazing and the actors were all good, But the stars of the show were the puppets. It was enthralling. The only thing that spoiled it was the idiot woman next to me who turned on her phone to check her messages in the middle of the first act. When I put my hand up to block the glare (I made sure she saw my glare) she took the hint and turned the damn thing off. God, I hate the Great Entitled. I’m going to try to get seats away from her next season.
Anyway, go see it. It’s an experience. I believe in Richard Parker! ROAR!