The KeyBank Broadway Series production of ‘Life of Pi’ transcends

“Life of Pi” began as a 2001 international best selling novel by Yann Martel then an Oscar winning Ang Lee film in 2012. From there it was only natural to be made into a stage production that became a five time Olivier Award winning theatrical production in London’s West End. The show has “crossed the pond” to Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfelf Theatre in New York (nominated for four Tony Awards and winning three as well as four Drama Desk Awards) and already is on tour throughout the United States. In as many words the production is magical, intriguing, stark, shocking and whimsical all at once.

It is 1978 at a Mexican hospital where nurse (Jessica Angleskhan), Canadian diplomat, Lulu Chen (Mi Kang) and Japanese insurance investigator Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) are trying to coax Pi Patel (Taha Mandviwala) from under his bed. Pi is the lone survivor of the tragic sinking of the Japanese cargo ship TsimTsum that was lost at sea along with Pi’s family and most of the animals from his father’s zoo in India. When Pi is slowly coaxed from under the bed he begins to tell a fantastic tale of survival in a life boat on the high seas for 227 days after the sinking.

As his story begins he travels back to his family’s life in Pondicherry, India where his father (Sorab Wadia) ran a zoo of exceptional and varied animals. Suddenly the sterile hospital room is transformed into the zoo as animals come to life with butterflies filling the stage and a giraffe making an appearance. Soon, the giraffe is joined by other inhabitants that include a zebra, orangutan, goat and hyena. Pi’s father becomes upset with Pi and his sister Rani (Sharayu Mahale) for constantly befriending the animals in their care including their newest acquisition, a 520+ lb. Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker (named after his original capturer). To teach a powerful lesson he sacrifices a goat (a favorite animal of the children) to Richard Parker to bring home the fact that the animals in their care are wild and dangerous. This leaves Pi with a powerful resentment towards the carnivorous beast, Richard Parker.

Pi is at an awkward age of religious and philosophical exploration as he is investigating three religions simultaneously. Near the market where the family shops there is a church, temple and mosque all next to one another that he attends regularly (and sometimes on the same day for all three). Pi is trying to find a commonality between the three faiths. It is this work that will later serve to help him survive his upcoming survival challenge.

On board the ship the vegetarian family is confronted with a meat eating crew but Mamaji (Rishi Jaiswal) is able to help them eat by utilizing some of the vegetables brought for the various animals. Things take a turn for the worse when a storm appears and sinks the ship after Pi is tossed overboard by the crew in order to save him.

Pi ends up in a lifeboat with an injured zebra (broken leg), an orangutan, and a hyena that soon kills the zebra and orangutan and then turns on Pi but is killed by Richard Parker as he enters the life boat. After a ballet of evasion, Pi ends up in a makeshift life buoy raft with the survival box. In the box, Pi discovers ration biscuits, canned water, some umbrellas (for shade and water gathering) and a survival manual (narrated by Admiral Jackson who authored the book). As delusion takes hold, Pi’s teacher/Aunt Amma (Jessica Angleskhan) appears to tell him to use logic to figure how to stretch his rations so that he can survive. As the biscuits disappear over the next 30 days Pi’s father appears to task the lad with reentering the life boat and controlling the tiger using a whistle and a boat oar. An uneasy truce is made and reinforced when Pi begins netting fish and is able to feed both of them.

While truly magical in parts this is not a show for young children. There are some rather graphic scenes of animal dismemberment and consumption as well as talk of human cannibalism. If you are of a delicate nature you may wish to pass this one by.

With that said, it truly is a marvelous show. The puppets (if you can call them that) are truly remarkable and take up to three operators to manipulate. The subtle animal movements and sounds are so realistic that soon you stop seeing the puppeteers and concentrate solely on the animal they represent. The animals very quickly take on a life of their own and become their own distinct characters on stage. Bravo!

The “human” acting is top notch with the portrayal of a tight knit Indian family where love overshadows all external forces. Sorab Wadia as Father and Rishi Jaiswal as Mamaji are the best of parents in the most difficult times and Sharayu Mahale as the high achieving sister Rani adds an antagonistic flavor against her brother Pi. As for Taha Mandviwala’s portryal of Pi, all I can say is that he must be exhausted after each performance. He leaves it all on the stage and evokes every emotion known to man. The total of seventeen parts are portrayed by a cast of ten actors with eight puppeteers controlling the various animals.

One rather overlooked aspect of live theater is sound. Carolyn Downing’s vibrant sound design truly adds to the presentation. The storm scene will have you gripping the seat armrests. The same is to be said of Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling’s lighting design. From the brightly lit sterile hospital room to the boat floating under an ocean of stars to the driving rain of the storm it truly sets the proper mood. As for the stage craft, the transition between scenes of hospital/zoo/market place/doomed ship/lifeboat and back and forth is seamless and smooth to the point of you not even noticing (it is that good).

If you are a fan of the book and/or the movie you will be thunderstruck by the live performance. You are literally swept along at a breakneck speed as this exciting tale of perseverance, fortitude, hope and faith is spelled out in an easy to follow pattern. This show is well worth the price of the ticket.

The KeyBank Broadway Series production of “Life of Pi” will be on stage on the Connor Palace Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio through January 26, 2024. For more information and tickets go to https://www.playhousesquare.org/ or call (216) 241-6000.