LIFE OF PI Takes Audiences on a Fantastic Journey
The spectacular Life of Pi takes audiences on an epic, and sometimes frightful, adventure across the ocean. The action-packed drama, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and based on the novel by Yann Martel, makes excellent use of stagecraft and features beautifully designed visual effects and life-size puppets as well as storytelling that captivates, carrying the audience along for the journey.
The curtain rises as a nurse tries to coax Pi Patel out from under his hospital bed because a social worker and an insurance agent are there to speak with him. As Pi begins his story, the hospital room transforms into the various locations Pi remembers as he shares his journey. Pi and his family run a small zoo in their hometown. But civil unrest and violence make it too hard for Pi’s father to sustain the zoo and keep his animals and family safe, so the family packs up the animals and boards a ship to flee to Canada. During the voyage, the ship is destroyed by a vicious storm, and Pi escapes on a raft. Lost at sea, he must survive the elements, the lack of food and potable water, and the jaws of the Bengal tiger sharing his small boat.
Taha Mandviwala is captivating as the play’s teen-aged hero Pi, bringing abundant energy and athleticism to the challenging, constantly in motion character. The audience follows the story through Pi’s running dialogue, which includes memories of his family and teachers, and his fears, triumphs, and determined resilience. Pi is expressive and curious – and Mandviwala makes sure that the audience sees every joyful discovery, overwhelming task, and terrifying recollection as Pi feels it: in the moment.
The play’s framing device, an insurance agent has asked Pi to recount his survival, grounds the story and action in the present, but the force and physicality of Pi’s journey is current and immediate. Mandviwala pulls us into Pi’s experience, blending time and perception to draw the audience into each scene. Constant movement and numerous challenges ensure the play is engrossing, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as we move between a hospital room in Mexico to Pi’s hometown and zoo in India to the cargo ship bound for Canada and the small raft adrift on the boundless ocean. The effect is visceral and emotional, and potentially a bit too much for younger and very sensitive audiences.
Mandviwala is complemented by a strong supporting ensemble that includes Ben Durocher and Toussaint Jeanlouis as the cook and voice of Richard Parker (the tiger), Sorab Wadia, Jessica Angleskhan, Rishi Jaiswal, Sharayu Mahale, Mi Kang, and Alan Ariano. The life size puppets, designed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, include a goat, zebra, orangutang, hyena, and Bengal tiger. The puppets are so skillfully manipulated that the puppeteers become almost invisible, and the audience willingly suspends disbelief as the animals come to life – their movements are well articulated, and they’re graceful, seamless, and effectively choreographed.
Life of Pi, at the Fox Theater, is a captivating and entertaining show, but it does veer into darker, more frightening scenes at times. The show explores ideas of isolation, survival and how the journey and its trauma effects Pi, a teenager with limited life experience. The story is compelling and exciting, but the underlying themes resonate and questions about isolation and how one survives challenging circumstances will likely come up for many audience members. Theatergoers who enjoy action and adventure as well as thought-provoking drama will not want to miss this quick moving, beautifully staged drama. And this may be one of the rare times when a ticket in the mezzanine may offer the best views of this artfully crafted and staged play.
