Review Roundup: LIFE OF PI Launches National Tour

Performances are now underway for the US tour of LIFE OF PI, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel. The tour opened at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore, Maryland on December 10th, 2024. Read the reviews so far here!

Based on one of the best-loved works of fiction – winner of the International Booker Prize (formerly Man Booker Prize) which has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide – LIFE OF PI is a breath-taking theatrical adaptation of an epic journey of endurance and hope.

Leading the production is powerhouse actor Taha Mandviwala as Pi, supported by a dynamic company including Jessica Angleskhan, Alan Ariano, Pragun Bhardwaj, Ben Durocher, Emmanuel Elpenord, Shiloh Goodin, Anna Leigh Gortner, Austin Wong Harper, Rishi Jaiswal, Toussaint Jeanlouis, Mi Kang, Intae Kim, Sharayu Mahale, Sinclair Mitchell, Maya Rangulu, Betsy Rosen, Anna Vomáčka, Sorab Wadia & Savidu Geevaratne.

LIFE OF PI is originally Directed by Max Webster, with the Tour Directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe, Set and Costume Design by Olivier and Tony Award winner Tim Hatley. The production features Puppet Design by Olivier Award winners Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, with Puppetry and Movement Direction by Finn Caldwell, supported by the Global Associate Puppetry and Movement Direction of Scarlet Wilderink with US Associate Puppetry and Movement Direction by Jon Hoche and US Assistant Puppetry and Movement Direction by Betsy Rosen.  Lighting Design is by Tony Award winner Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling, Sound Design by Tony Award Winner Carolyn Downing, Video and Animation Design by Olivier and Tony Award winner Andrzej Goulding, Hair and Wig Design by David Brian Brown, Original Music Composed by Andrew T. Mackay, Dramaturgy by Jack Bradley, and Casting by Duncan Stewart and Patrick Maravilla with ARC Casting.

Timoth David Copney, BroadwayWorld: The Life of Pi production at the Hippodrome is a triumph. While the story stretches credulity, the craftsmanship is outstanding. Max Webster’s direction, clearly informed by his background in Shakespeare and opera, gives the play an impressive scope. The tight pacing and inventive use of set pieces—from the complexity of a sinking ship to the simplicity of rippling paper evoking the sea—are focused and effective. Audiences often underestimate the director’s vision, but Webster expertly draws out the intended emotional responses in every scene.

Herb Merrick, MD Theatre Guide: The puppets represent all shapes and sizes of animals. Rod puppets are used for the butterflies, the fish, and a giant sea turtle (the choreography of an entire school of fish swimming was amazing). Smaller animals (birds, a baby orangutan, and a goat) are manipulated by an ensemble member without rods or strings. Larger animals (hyena, zebra, and tiger) use actors inside and outside the puppets. The actors also supply the animals’ vocal sounds. The puppets are so well-crafted, mobile, and lifelike that you hardly notice the ensemble puppeteers in plain sight.

Dara Homer, BroadwayWorld: Springing onto the lifeboat with chilling ferocity, Richard Parker offers a stunning showcase of the puppet design by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes. Parker is operated by three puppeteers at a time, with two executing his motions from the inside out. In every subtle tail twitch and gently groomed ear, he has at least three humans’ worth of expressiveness. This magnificent puppet offers a different version of Richard Parker than the one captured in Ang Lee’s excellent film adaptation of Life of Pi: this feline feels more distant from our hero, scarier, and funnier. For this story within a story, the uncanny mysteriousness works.

Jeannette Mulherin, MD Theatre Guide: The production is spellbinding. Notable performances include Pi’s Father (Sorab Wadia) who deftly communicates the weariness and concern driving him to protect his family from danger, and the Cook (Ben Durocher) who exudes cruelty and eventually, inhuman savagery. The demanding Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) who is investigating the shipwreck and Lulu Chen (Mi Kang), an empathetic Canadian diplomat maintain a precarious equilibrium as Pi recounts his fantastical tale. Finally, Savidu Geevaratne portrays a curious and enthusiastic Pi whose grace and athleticism interact seamlessly with the magnificent puppeteers breathing life into the zoo animals.

Bob Ashby, DC Theater Arts: Under Max Webster’s direction, the play — save for the hospital scenes — is in constant motion, with flowing, intricate movement by Pi, members of the ensemble, and puppeteers. There are a lot of plot points compressed into Chakrabarti’s relatively compact script. Along with Webster’s rapid pace, this results in parts of the play feeling rushed, sometimes at the expense of nuance.

Average Rating: 86.0%