Review: LIFE OF PI Is Existentialist Magic at Benedum Center

In some ways, Lolita Chakrabarti's Life of Pi, adapted from the novel by Yann Martel and directed by Max Webster, can feel like a grown-up version of the puppet-heavy visual multimedia spectacles often seen in high-end children's theatre. There is much to marvel at, all created before your eyes by actors, dancers and puppeteers in real time. But this is no fluffy show: Chakrabarti's slightly surreal survival drama is a philosophical odyssey through existential themes of life, death and the purpose of faith and religion in a scientific world. It's an allegory within an allegory, and it feeds the mind and spirit as much as the eyes.

In 1978 Mexico, a Japanese lawyer (Alan Ariano) is sent to interview Pi (Taha Mandviwala), the sole survivor of an enormous shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean. Pi is an enigmatic young man, more interested in debating religion and philosophy than giving the facts, but eventually he agrees to tell his tale. What he relates is a globe-spanning magic-realist tale of escape from a wreck on a tiny lifeboat with only a few escaped zoo animals and scant supplies, a tale which Pi insists will make the atheistic lawyer believe in God. Oh... and then there's the tiger.

Max Webster's production is an immense visual spectacle, with dozens of actors working as human beings, animal puppeteers, performing visual and scenic effects by hand, and more. It's like Lion King taken to a new level, and all performed without any attempt to hide the human element. These puppeteers are the true star of the show- to the extent that they get the final bow, both in their "tiger" configuration and then as single humans. The show must be seen to be believed; even if the script were weaker (it's very clever and full of heart, as anything based on Yann Martel's writing should be) this show would still be worth looking at.

Thankfully, our central human element is strong enough to stand out among the magic surrounding him. Taha Mandiwala makes a great soul-searching seeker of Pi: his body literally seems to burst with energy in the same way his mind and heart are over-filled with ideas and concepts and beliefs. Mandviwala's physical performance is athletic and measured in a way that doesn't immediately seem dancerlike, but every single movement is so carefully composed and measured even in his most savage or unhinged moments. And through this all, he keeps up an incredible, endless, two-hour monologue, only occasionally breaking into actual dialogue with other characters. It's a one-man show with a cast of over twenty, and Mandviwala balances the whole endeavor effortlessly. Well, effortleslly might not be the right word: this IS a survival epic, after all, and Mandviwala is giving everything he's got to the point of exhaustion, as he should.

The other humans have much smaller roles by the nature of the piece, but they still find moments to pop. Sinclair Mitchell plays a series of seriocomic roles, one as a Russian sailor trying to find a line of communication with the English-speaking PI, and another as the stiff-upper-lip military man who authors a sometimes-helpful survival manual. Sorab Wadia and Jessica Angleskhan are alternately warm and distant as Pi's parents, who love him but do not understand his pantheist spiritual seeking, and Rishi Jaiswal makes a strong impression as family friend Mamaji, a swimming enthusiast with a quirky, Jeff Goldblum-esque energy about him. These actors blend in and out of the ensemble, becoming their characters, then faces in the crowd, and then sometimes puppeteers. It's an extraordinarily demanding show, and attention must be paid to the people who make it work.

Not since Julie Taymor has there been a show like Life of Pi, blending smarts and spectacle in equal amounts. You don't see plays like this often; usually this level of technical know-how and spectacle chases the money and goes into a major musical. Any Pittsburgher looking for a unique and life-affirming theatrical experience, or simply wanting to see some VERY impressive puppets, should make the journey through the cold to see this one.

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