Hal Luftig ’84 Produces Two New Broadway Shows

Theatre Management and Producing alumnus Hal Luftig ’84 is serving as the lead producer on two Broadway shows this season. Luftig, a three-time Tony Award-winning producer, is working on Life of Pi—currently in previews at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre with an opening date set for March 30—and Here Lies Love, which will begin previews at Broadway Theatre on June 17, 2023. 

Life of Pi is based on the 2001 novel by Yann Martel and was adapted for the stage by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti. It follows the story of Pi, a boy lost at sea on a lifeboat after being the sole (human) survivor of a stormy shipwreck that capsized the ship on which Pi was sailing with his family and their zoo animals to Canada. Sharing his lifeboat are several of the zoo animals—portrayed onstage by expertly-handled puppets—including a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The story is recounted as memory while Pi sits in a hospital bed speaking to an investigator of the shipwreck—and during Pi’s recounting of his heroic tale, the reality of his story and the actual presence of the zoo animals comes into question. 

Life of Pi comes to Broadway after a successful, Olivier Award-winning run at Wyndham’s Theatre on London’s West End. Hiran Abeysekera, who won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Pi, will reprise the role in New York. 

Here Lies Love, a musical conceived by David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) that features music and lyrics by Byrne and additional music by Fatboy Slim, is based on the true story of Filipina First Lady Imedla Marcos and her fall from power amid her country’s People Power Revolution. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2013 at The Public Theater, where it received positive reviews. The 2013 production was performed in an immersive style that will be replicated for its Broadway premiere. The play is set in a dance club; the Broadway Theatre will be remodeled to resemble that setting, allowing audience members to dance and move with the performers. 

Audience immersion is optional—ticket buyers will choose between the immersive experience and several traditional and/or innovative seating options. Here Lies Love’s opening date is scheduled for July 20, 2023. 

Hal Luftig has worked in Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres for the past 20 years. His plays and musicals have garnered 23 Tony Awards, 6 Drama Desk Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. His Broadway productions include: West Side Story, All My Sons, Legally Blonde the Musical, Movin' Out, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award, Best Musical), The Times They Are A-Changin', Annie Get Your Gun, Whoopi, Seussical, Taller than a Dwarf, Moon Over Buffalo, Jelly's Last Jam, Angels in America, Death and the Maiden, The Diary of Anne Frank, The King and I, The Secret Garden, Catch Me If You Can , Evita, Kinky Boots and The Elephant Man. Luftig’s Off-Broadway work features: Lobby Hero, The Lady in Question, Snakebit, and Bomb-itty of Errors.