Multi-Olivier award-winning production Life of Pi arrives in Manchester after embarking on a UK tour fresh off the West End.
Based on the beloved book by Yann Martel and perhaps best known for the 2012 film, Life of Pi is a tale of endurance and survival in the most unlikely of scenarios.
First staged in 2019, the story follows Piscine “Pi” Patel, a young man raised in a zoo in Pondicherry, India, who is forced to emigrate to Canada to escape rising political tensions.
However, tragedy strikes as a storm sinks the ship that the Patel family and their animals are travelling on, leaving Pi lost at sea on a lifeboat with just one companion – a Bengal Tiger.
The story was adapted for the stage by celebrated playwright and actor Lolita Chakrabarti and will spend a month (December 5 – January 6) in The Lowry Theatre before continuing on its UK tour.
In this particular performance, directed by Max Webster, Pi was portrayed by Tanvi Virmani, swapping the gender of the character and giving a new perspective on Martel’s social commentary on the brutality of Man.
Virmani, who performed in a high-pressure press night despite being credited as an alternate cast member, was compelling as she effortlessly navigated both the laugh-inducing comedy and heart-wrenching tragedy of the story.
But the star of the show is undoubtedly Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger who accompanies Pi during her time at sea.
Parker was magically brought to life by an expert team of puppeteers led by puppetry and movement director Finn Caldwell.
Animated goats, zebras, hyenas and orangutans were able to command the stage as much as their human co-stars.
The tiger is puppetted by three people at a time, one alongside the puppet, one controlling the rear and the other inside of it, allowing it to be truly expressive and life-like.
The chemistry between Virmani and the puppet was palpable and formed the backbone of the majority of the performance.
You could feel the hatred between the pair early in their adventure and how it transformed into a relationship built on mutual trust, respect and later love as the journey came to an end.
Supporting cast members also impressed throughout the performance, with many of them fulfilling multiple roles throughout the play.
Antony Antunes portrayed multiple characters during the night with his work as the fearsome and menacing cook and later, a camp French Richard Parker speaking to Pi in a hallucination, demonstrating his acting ability.
Tim Hatley’s incredible sets allowed us to be transported through every part of Pi’s incredible story in just seconds.
Seamless transitions from the lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to Pi’s hospital bed in Mexico, which Pi uses as a podium to narrate her story, help make the audience feel involved in the journey.
Overall, Max Webster’s Life of Pi is an extraordinary production. It will leave you in stitches of laughter and then just minutes later hit you with a sucker-punch of emotion leaving you on the edge of your seat with tears in your eyes. It simply cannot be missed.
Tickets for Life of Pi are available at: https://thelowry.com/whats-on/life-of-pi/
