Betsy Rosen’s B’way debut requires little makeup in the new hit “Life of Pi.” Schoenfeld Theatre.
“I’m the puppeteer inside the life-size tiger. His body’s flexible. Hard work. To do it I take yoga, pilates, sculpting, body exercises.
“Two hours physical training every week because of bodily tension. To be able to stretch my hands.
“Not get tense, tighten up. You can end with bruises, aches and pains.
“There’s many kinds of puppets. ‘Pi’ is not marionettes. Not hand puppets like ‘Sesame Street.’ We’re life-size animals. Mine takes three people inside it to make it work.
“One trigger does the head. One the tail and paws. I’m folded over inside.
“The underbelly’s open. The tiger sits on my back. Things happen very fast. Lots of action. Fight scenes. Three of us inside him. Once my foot got caught. I went down and hit the floor hard. And fast. The audience reacts to the tiger — not me.
“My two teammates kept the tiger over me and I was able to keep his paws up. Eventually, I just crawled back inside.
“The tiger feels real. He’s larger than life. His limbs are mobile. Paws moveable. Shows so much action.
“When animals pull apart other animals, the blood is shown with red stretch fabric.
“My mother, in the audience, looked away once because those fight scenes appear so real.
“When the animals aren’t working a maintenance crew tends the tiger, hyena, orangutan.
“They’re all protected — hung high up in the backstage wings.”
Zero hour
I’m now dropping information on all newies: The TV series “Bupkis” (that’s a Yiddish word meaning “Nothing . . . nada”) premiered at the Apollo.
Producer’s Lorne Michaels plus — ugh — Pete Davidson.
Called “raw and semi-autobiographical,” Edie Falco plays Mom and Joe Pesci’s in it.
Critics may rate it four crayons.
Play to la galleria
Some “abstract short” debuts Tuesday at Achille Salvagni Gallery, which sells tchotchkes to Tom Ford, Paul Simon, a maybe princess or two.
It’s premiering Andrea Marini’s new flick “Shapes in the Echo of Time.”
Why they didn’t try a theater, I have no idea.
Uplifting news
A pneumatic vacuum elevator. Powered by air.
Is age or injury moving you to a one-level space, which causes pain in the purse? Well, hark:
Neil Cornfield, of Custom Renovators of New York, is doing pneumatic vacuum elevators. Little electricity. Easily installed. Space-saving design.
Eco-friendly (no heavy equipment, oils, lubricants, gasses). Functional. Portable.
He says fundamental physics created this vehicle within a bubble.
Minimal footprint, rapid installation, unique design, a maybe game changer.
Now no need to move a muscle, stay parked in front of the tube, ready to watch the coming Tonys — usually as exciting as a wart on your foot.
Memorable days in the early life of what’s lately become our country:
Nathan Hale: “I regret that I have only one life to lose for my country”. . . Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death”. . . John Hancock saying: “Have I got a policy for you!”
Only in Boston, New York and everywhere, kids, only in Boston, New York and everywhere.