Life of Pi: A Zoo of Profound Thought - Makenzie Bounds

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“My story will make you believe in God”


Life Of Pi, an adaptation based on a 2001 philosophical novel by Yann Martel, continues its first American tour in Minneapolis. While originally premiering in the West End, Life of Pi was translated to the Broadway stage in 2023. The play has since received glowing reviews from audience members and critics, and this tour definitively lives up to expectations. Awards include Tonys for best scenic design, best costume design, and best lighting design of a play.


The show follows Piscine “Pi” Patel (Taha Mandviwala), a seventeen-year-old boy on an epic journey of survival after a shipwreck kills his entire family and their bevy of zoo animals. Pi is stranded in the middle of the Pacific with a tiger, aka “Richard Parker”, for 227 days. During his time afloat, he contemplates the intersectionality of reality and belief. 


The play’s company successfully brings these complex messages the show presents to life. Throughout Pi’s early years, he struggles to grasp religious concepts in a typical manner. He simultaneously practices Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam because he believes that they all share a variation of the same God. This conflict of belief later accounts for Pi’s methods of storytelling. Pi takes the audience along on two different stories, leaving them with the question of which story they prefer: the true version, or the fantasized version. The realistic version, or the optimistic one? Mandviwala uses Pi’s dilemma to present a wonderfully unique commentary on the influence faith can have on one’s life, demonstrating how each path may lead to the same conclusion. 


Puppeteers brilliantly maneuver puppets made to look like zoo animals. Among these are a zebra, hyena, orangutan, and Bengal tiger. The puppeteers use their bodies and voices to convey both the technical and emotional aspects of each animal. Their movement was so authentic that sometimes I would forget they were there; I became fully immersed in the illusion they created.


By far the most impressive puppeteering I have seen goes to the eight actors that rotate operating Richard Parker- a puppet that took 345 hours to create for the West End’s production. The team is perfectly synchronized down to the tiny details like the tiger’s steps and mouth movements to the big choreographed fights between him and Pi. Their creative manipulation of the puppet within the boat’s small space is captivating to witness.


Lighting design by Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling also adds to the mirage. Projections across the floor create an underwater atmosphere that seems to make time stop when combined with dramatic music. Stark flashes instantly transport the audience between Pi’s retelling to the reality he’s confined to.

Conclusively, Life of Pi is an enthralling fantasy tale that also prompts some psychological contemplation. The staging, lighting, and puppeteer work make the performance engaging from beginning to end. While I was awestruck watching these elements, I believe the play also stands out due to its unforgettable message. Life of Pi will be running at the Orpheum until March 9th.

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