Spectacle and Heart Shine in Life of Pi - Aarushi Bahadur

The new play Life of Pi is based on Yann Martel’s 2001 best-selling novel, which was adapted into a film by Ang Lee in 2012. The show first premiered in England before transferring to Broadway in 2023. The play follows Piscine “Pi” Patel, who, narrating the story in a flashback, describes the fantastical events that take place following a shipwreck where he is stranded at sea.

Unsurprisingly, much of the show’s emotional weight rests on Taha Mandviwala, who plays the titular protagonist with candid rawness. Mandviwala’s Pi shifts seamlessly between humor and exhaustion, adrenaline and anguish, his performance continuously bursting with feeling. Other standouts in the cast include Jessica Angleskhan, who shines in dual roles as the concerned nurse and Pi’s warm, protective Amma. Sinclair Mitchell’s Admiral Jackson, the author of a book on survival at sea, provides a practical, sometimes comic counterpoint to Pi’s more philosophical struggles.

Still, the undoubtable star of the show is Richard Parker—the Bengal tiger from Pi’s family zoo, with whom he finds himself stranded at sea. Lifelike in movement, with a rippling body that feels both organic and imposing, Richard Parker is a marvel of stagecraft. Part man, part magic, the tiger comes to life through one of four breathtaking puppets designed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, whose work has rightfully earned Olivier and Tony awards. The puppetry (Ben Durocher, Shiloh Goodin, Anna Leigh Gortner, Austin Wong Harper, Aaron Haskell, Betsy Rosen, Anna Vomáčka, Toussaint Jeanlouis) is so fluid and precise that Richard Parker is less a theatrical trick and more a fully realized character. 

The production’s technical elements are just as mesmerizing. The sound design by Carolyn Downing envelops the audience, from the rhythmic pulse of a tabla underscoring joyous moments to the immersive surround effects that transport Pi from peaceful waters to stormy weather. Tim Hatley’s scenic design is equally stunning—deceptively simple yet transformative, seamlessly shifting from a lively zoo to a vibrant Indian bazaar to the vast emptiness of the sea. Pieces of décor fold out in seconds, creating new spaces with remarkable ease.

Lighting and projections play a crucial role in shaping Pi’s world, never feeling cheap or gimmicky but instead fully immersive. The sky and sea, done by Andrzej Goulding, in particular, are breathtaking—vast and ever-changing, their depth and movement convincing enough to make the ocean feel alive. Projections overlay the doors on set, their outlines always visible, subtly reminding us of the tension between Pi’s reality and the fantastical elements of his story. This delicate balance gives his fantasy a sense of grounding, making it all the more affecting.

Perhaps the show’s only weakness is its dependency on the literal and obvious in the script—during a crucial moment in the second act, the officials interviewing Pi about his memories of the shipwreck describe narrative parallels to the audience in an awkwardly heavy-handed manner, a different approach from the film adaptation where the audience was allowed to draw the conclusion themselves from the film’s implication.

This minor flaw, however, barely casts a shadow on the surface of a show that ultimately plunges into deeper waters of triumph. Resplendent with artistic and technical beauty and heart, Life of Pi is a must-see standout.

Life of Pi is playing at the Orpheum Theater until March 9.