ENTERTAINMENT
Live Stage 'Life of Pi' Faces Backlash Over Rescheduled Performance
On November 11, the production company announced on its official social media, "We acknowledge the heavy responsibility and are offering refunds and a rescheduled performance due to the cancellation." They added, "An additional performance will be held on the 16th at 7:30 PM, with the same seats, cast, and curtain call day event as originally planned."
This comes after a last-minute cancellation the previous day. 'Life of Pi' was canceled just five minutes before it was set to begin due to lighting issues, leaving audiences frustrated and criticizing the management's inadequate response.
While many audience members appreciated the effort to maintain the same seats and curtain call day, saying, "Thank you for handling this well," others were displeased, citing the timing, "It's the Lunar New Year holiday, how can we attend?" and "I need to visit my family, what are you talking about?"
Concerns about the actors' well-being were also raised. Some commented, "Two performances with just an hour gap? The actors' voices will suffer," and "There's no consideration for the actors during the holiday," calling it "the worst response."
The production company addressed the lighting issue, stating, "We identified a device error during the final check before the performance, and despite ongoing recovery efforts, an unexplained malfunction occurred." They assured that "through technical checks and tests conducted until the morning, the lighting equipment has been restored to normal." They emphasized that "the decision to cancel was made prioritizing safety due to the technical error affecting the lighting equipment."
'Life of Pi' is based on Yann Martel's novel 'Life of Pi,' depicting the 227-day journey of a boy named Pi and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean. It is making its domestic debut and is scheduled to run until March 2.
By Dayeon Jeong, TenAsia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr
