After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a sixteen year-old boy named Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?
Taking clear inspiration from how the legendary War Horse production presented animal puppetry on stage, Life of Pi adds to this legacy to combine live theatre and puppetry to create an out-of-this-world philosophical show that takes the audience on a journey to question what belief really is.
This is a story that could seem almost impossible to transfer to theatre from its popular book and film background, given how it deals with the metaphysical, yet this is handled so wonderfully here. Fantastic lighting, A.V and set design take the audience on a surprising journey where you aren’t sure what to expect next as the stage is transformed from a zoo in India, to deep in the ocean, to an unknown hospital from in Canada. Everything here is top of its class in stage, A.V and lighting design.
Obviously, you can’t talk about this show without discussing the puppets. Everything from the smallest rat to a giant Bengal tiger is expertly designed and puppeteered here. The puppeteers bring these to life so well it’s never questioned whether you can believe they are real, it’s a true masterclass in how these should be done. You quickly become emotionally drawn to them, it’s another element of the fantastical that fits so well.
The movement direction is also top-class, it helps bring the story to life at times when the staging is minimal and never misses. The physicality of Nuwan Hugh Perera in his role as Pi is really quite something to see and his performance as a whole can not be faulted.
This is a magical show that deals with grief and belief in a way that is truly unique.
