Through 1/26
Life of Pi, the latest KeyBank Broadway series production at Playhouse Square, turns the Connor Palace stage into a zoo, an ocean and a hospital as it dramatizes an adventure few, if any, would choose to have. It’s a glorious, extravagant telling of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel (as adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti)
Life of Pi has won numerous awards, including three Tony Awards (Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Sound Design). In this compelling production, tour director Ashley Booke Monroe shows us why.
As the play unfolds, we learn that teenage Pi (played with persuasive conviction by Taha Mandviwala) and his loving family set sail for Canada because conditions in their native India make it impossible to continue the family business, running a charming zoo. They pack up everything they own, including the animals, for their long voyage. Midway through their voyage the cargo boat carrying the family sinks during a violent storm.
Only Pi lives to tell the tale. How did he survive? That’s Pi’s story.
When the play opens we see Pi hospitalized. He’s being questioned by authorities who want to know what exactly, did Pi do to survive 277 days floating in the ocean in a small boat (or on a raft of bananas, depending on which story you believe).
And so, reluctantly, Pi answers the senior investigator’s probing questions. As Pi speaks, he (and we) relive his ordeal as it is recreated onstage. A terrible storm sinks their cargo ship. After the thunder ceases and the waves subside we see Pi clinging to the raft. He’s got company: four beasts from the family zoo — a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
Pi admits that he and the tiger named Richard Parker were the only ones who lasted. They survived, eating whatever came to hand — “Yum, seaweed,” says Pi at one point. Richard Parker (voiced by Ben Durocher who also plays the Cook) is an awesome, fierce, nimble beast (manipulated by puppeteers Austin Wong Harper, Jon Hoche and Betsy Rosen).
All the zoo animal puppets (thanks to designers Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell and to those who wield them) defy reality checks (in a good way). Scenic and costume design by Tim Hatley also works beautifully to put us in distant places and wild ocean voyages.
It seems a simple story — a tale of surviving despite terrible odds — and, thanks to the actors, dazzling puppeteers, and all-around skill and creativity, it’s easy to forget that this is really a horror story. Yes, it’s about resilience, but it illustrates the way we may perceive, even craft, memories to survive.
Bottom Line: It’s a “go if you can” show (not really for young children) that well may inspire deep thoughts on cold winter nights. And if you must miss it, consider reading the book — it’s also a winner.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]
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