Review: THE LIFE OF PI Play

The Life of Pi originated in 2001 as a novel by Yann Martel. In 2012, the story returned, this time as a movie. I read the book about twenty years ago and saw the movie about ten, so I went into Lolita Chakrabarti's stage adaptation (performed at Toronto's Mirvish Theatre, and directed by Max Webster) knowing what to expect. My only question was how well this story would work on the stage. I had high expectations going in, and I'm happy to say the show met them.

Life of Pi is about Pi, a young Indian kid (originally a boy, though Pi was played by Riya Rajeev and rewritten as a girl for the performance I saw) who is stranded on a boat with various dangerous animals--most notably, Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger.

The original book is very philosophical, dealing with issues relating to religion, truth, and storytelling. Yet, like Moby Dick, it also functions as an adventure story. The movie turned Life of Pi into a visual spectacle, and the stage version follows suit by using grand sets and puppetry. Since this is a live show, the puppeteers are visible, but they put so much energy and personality into the animals that it's easy to forget they're there. Richard Parker gets a lot of attention in the advertisements, of course, but the other animals (including the hyena and the orangutang) are just as remarkable. 

This production helped me realize that Life of Pi is very well-suited for the stage. After all, a play--however well-done--always does just a bit more to remind us that what we're seeing is a fabrication. Yet with this story, that approach works very well. The characters listening to Pi's story believe the tiger to be made of words rather than flesh and blood; likewise, those watching the play will probably never forget that Richard Parker is a puppet. And yet I think that Life of Pi should feel unreal--larger and more interesting than life. 

I've never forgotten Life of Pi, but I haven't necessarily thought of it as a favourite book or movie. And yet when I realized there'd be a production of the stage version during my stay in Toronto, I knew right away I'd need to see it. And with this play, I have joined Pi on that boat for the third time, getting to know her thoughts and fears. And, at some point, it occurred to me just how firmly this story (from the page, the screen, and now the stage) has implanted itself into my mind. It's a story that deals with the themes that have always interested me--what's true in a story, and what's interesting about it. I'm not sure what other forms Pi's life will take when it returns in another ten or so years (perhaps it will be a comic book, or an audio drama), but when that time comes, I'll likely be there to experience it. Like any good story, Life of Pi has fascinated me every time it's been told, and I'm not sure it'll ever stop.

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