Broadway in Utah: Life of Pi
The kind of story told by Yann Martel in his 2001 best-selling, Booker Prize-winning novel—a parable about truth, faith and the stories we need to tell ourselves in order to survive—seems like one that should only work in literary form. Yet that has clearly not proved to be the case. An original theatrical adaptation launched in 2003; in 2012, a film adaptation was released that won four Academy Awards, including Best Director for Ang Lee. Then, in 2019, a new theatrical adaptation debuted in England, eventually making its way to Broadway and winning three 2023 Tony Awards. It's clear that Martel's tale is rich with possibility for interpretations in other media.

The story remains the same, focusing on an Indian youth named Pi Patel who survives a shipwreck on a vessel filled with animals. Several of those animals survive with him, and end up sharing the same life raft—including a tiger that Pi calls Richard Parker. Extraordinary puppetry brings those animal characters to life on stage, part of a remarkable overall scenic design anchoring a show that Time Out called "one of the most visually stunning shows I have ever seen."

Broadway in Utah's touring production of Life of Pi continues its run at the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) through April 6, with performances Wednesday – Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $54 - $139; visit saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

Ballet West: The Rite of Spring
The 1913 premiere of The Rite of Spring—with its music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky—has become the stuff of legend about inspiring a "riot." Yet over the years, as Stravinsky's music grew in popularity, it has lent itself to many different choreographic interpretations, according to Ballet West artistic director Adam Sklute—including Nicolo Fonte's commission from Ballet West to celebrate The Rite of Spring's centennial.

"To me Nicolo's Rite of Spring is wildly successful, and really illuminates a new way of interpreting Stravinsky's score," Sklute says in an email interview. "Rite of Spring has now had a wide and varied history of reinterpreting Stravinsky's score, so it is not sacrilegious to do so."

For this program, Ballet West pairs Rite of Spring with Balanchine's Apollo and Kylián's Symphony of Psalms, works that Sklute says are unified both by the idea of "journeys," and by the music itself.

"The thing that binds this program most for me is ... the music first and foremost," Sklute says. "While Stravinsky has a definitive sound in many ways, he is also a musical chameleon, and I am excited to present these three very different pieces of music as imagined by three renowned choreographers."

Ballet West's The Rite of Spring program comes to the J.Q. Lawson Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South) April 4 – 12, with performances April 4, 5, 10 & 12 at 7:30 p.m., plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, April 12. Tickets are $29 - $108; visit saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets, and balletwest.org for additional event info. (SR)

Stephen E. Strom: Forging a Sustainable Southwest
For more than 40 years, Stephen E. Strom's professional career focused on astronomy—so you know he's got a sense for looking at the "big-picture" side of things. That sensibility has informed his work as a photographer and an essayist in his post-retirement years, and it drives his ongoing interest in environmentalism. Even more particularly, it drives his sense for how change can be accomplished through collective action.

In his new book Forging a Sustainable Southwest: The Power of Collaborative Conservation, Strom looks not just at the challenges facing the American Southwest as environmental, economic and community interests clash over land-use decisions, but at the people fighting on the front lines to make sure "environmental" isn't always last on that list. He speaks with dozens of individuals representing groups working on efforts like the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and Las Cienagas National Conservation Area, attempting to understand how they organize, fund-raise and fight for responsible stewardship. It's an inspirational celebration of the power of grass-roots activism that also recognizes the nuts-and-bolts efforts and group action required for success. And maybe it even offers a blueprint for other necessary citizen-based activism.

Stephen E. Strom visits The King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m. to discuss Forging a Sustainable Southwest. The event is $5 admission, with registration available via Eventbrite. Copies of the book will also be available to purchase on-site, with places in the signing line reserved for those who purchase copies from The King's English. Visit kingsenglish.com for additional event information. (SR)