By JESSICA NEU
A digitized body of calm water titled “Life of Pi” transformed the traditional curtain at the Benedum Center into a pool of tranquility. The bold blues of the water and the soothing ebb and flow of the moving water created a sense of serenity as audience members took their seats.
As Life of Pi began, the non-traditional curtain gave way to a kaleidoscope of wonderous landscapes, vibrant colors, and inspiring imagination; all brought to life by director Max Webster.
We meet Pi (Taha Mandviwala), hiding under his bed in the psychiatric hospital. The words “Mexico, 1978” are typed onto the scene’s backdrop. Representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Transport (Alan Ariano) and the Canadian Embassy (Mi Kang) attempted to question Pi to learn more details about the tragic shipwreck that he survived. Unfortunately, the shipwreck claimed the lives of Pi’s mother or Mamaji (Rishi Jaiswal), Father (Sorab Wadia), and sister, Rani, (Sharayu Mahale).
A distraught Pi is hesitant to retell his traumatic story that cast him to surviving on a boat off the coast of Manila until he was rescued and taken for medical treatment. However, once he begins sharing his tale, we are transported back to a vibrant town in India full of culture, life, love, and faith.
Pi’s father was part of the circus and took such a liking to animals that he opened his own zoo in India. The result is a dazzling visual spectacle of animals created from an art form known as driftwood sculpture that interacts with Pi’s close-knit, loving family. The animal puppets are designed to look like the animals in Pi’s memory after he was shipwrecked and constructed from materials commonly found at sea, such as ropes and fabric. The mesmerizing animals are operated by puppeteers who perform alongside the actors and bring these animals to life in a realistic manner punctuated with supreme control and primal instinct (puppet design by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell; puppetry and movement direction by Finn Caldwell). Pi and his family adore the animals. They are kind and gentle and are reminders of all that is pure in the world.
Juxtaposed against the winsome nature of the zoo is the political upheaval happening throughout India. As government volatility increases, citizens begin fleeing their homeland, thus depleting zoo patrons. To keep the zoo open, Father procures a Bengal Tiger mistakenly named Richard Parker. The masterfully constructed puppet is operated by eight puppeteers who cohesively bring Richard Parker to life as the antagonist turned companion, allowing the plot line to swell.
Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Even before Pi’s traumatic journey begins, Pi defines himself as a man of faith. His family has a difficult time joining Pi in his theological exploration as his father notes that many of us lose God along life’s way. Pi is part idyllic dreamer and part pensive philosopher. He does not understand why he cannot go to the Mosque, Temple, and Church on the same day.
Pi carries this omnipresent acceptance and faith with him as he, his family, and the animals, including Richard Parker, board a ship destined for Canada after the family’s visas are finally approved for immigration.
As the ship crashes and sinks, leaving Pi and a few of his animal friends alone in the Pacific Ocean, we witness the dichotomy of faith and fear in the human psyche. When describing his time at sea, Pi admits to allowing fear and doubt to consume every aspect of his being. Isolated and afraid, we see how faith can be easy to lose sight of but inevitably can always be our proverbial or actual horizon, for faith is the antithesis of fear. Without his devotion, Pi could have easily lost hope and lost his will to survive. But whether you are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Catholic, or even Atheist, Pi’s journey reminds us that “faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
The supporting actors, ensemble members, and animal puppeteer extraordinaire anchor Life Of Pi to create a relatable tale with depth and substance. However, Mandviwala carries the show. His part in nearly every scene is bold, convincing, heart-wrenching, and wholesome. You fall in love with him and then become subsequently scared for him. As gruesome violence unfolds around Pi, the audible winces from the audience prove how Mandviwala made us all emotionally invested in him and his journey.
Pi’s journey is set on a stage that is unlike any theatrical production I have witnessed. The hospital room recedes to the village in India, which recedes into a ship and then back into the hospital room, only to morph into a ship and then the hospital room again. Walls shift, platforms adjust, and you are seamlessly transported to the various stages of Pi’s life thanks to scenic and costume designer Tim Hatley.
Hatley’s scenic design meshes with Caldwell’s movement direction and Webster’s vision to create a visually sublime tapestry that pushes the boundaries of theatrical creativity. A synchronicity of sound (Carolyn Downing), video, set, and lighting (Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling) create a majestically magical voyage from India to the Pacific Ocean. The coordination of movement in scenes such as the ship sinking and Pi swept onto the lifeboat or the movement of the animals in their most primal moments are slightly reminiscent of scenes from both Hamilton and The Lion King but genuinely emerge in a league of uncharted theatrical waters.
At its heart, Life of Pi is about the stories we tell ourselves and others to justify our own life choices and experiences. Sometimes the unexplainable, unimaginable, or even the fantastical occurs—experiences so traumatizing that our memories become distorted as a cognitive survival technique. We fantasize, forget, block out, or change details for our sanity.
Pi’s stories represent the unimaginable, filled with a visceral need for companionship. Pi states that his story will make audiences believe in God. Just as Pi wanted to worship at Mosque, Temple, and Church, everyone’s perception of and relationship with God varies.
Whatever you believe, Life of Pi is a spiritual experience that will make you believe in faith, hope, or love; or perhaps all three.
Read our preview of Life of Pi below:
TICKETS AND DETAILS
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust PNC Broadway in in Pittsburgh presents Life of Pi at the Benedum Center, Downtown, January 28 – February 2, 2025. Tickets: visit TrustArts.org or call 412-456-4800.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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