‘Life of Pi’: Superb mystical & visual journey

‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera & Richard Parker (Fred Davis, Scarlet Wilderink, Andrew Wilson). Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

LIFE OF PI
Based on the novel by Yann Martel
Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by Max Webster
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.lifeofpibway.com

By David NouNou

Life of Pi is an epic in every sense of the word and for regular theatregoers, will be a reminder of War Horse due to its puppet wizardry courtesy of Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes. They are so masterfully crafted and come to life so vividly that we are actually invested in each and every one of them.

Starting in 1978 with Pi (Hiran Abeysekera), under his bed in an antiseptic hospital room in Mexico, he’s being questioned by Lulu Chen (Celia Mei Rubin), a Canadian government figure and Mr. Okamoto (Daisuke Tsuji), a Japanese insurance man. They want to know how this 17- year-old boy survived for 227 days and was washed up on the Mexican shore after being shipwrecked from a Japanese freighter en route to Canada. Pi has struggled with grief, loss, loneliness, physical pain and still survived.

He is reticent to talk to them at first and finally does open up to explain his childhood in India in 1976, his parents, sister, his relatives, and the zoo that his father owned. The zoo was a magical place for Pi, it housed an orangutang, a giraffe, zebra among other animals and Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger supreme.

Pi’s father (Rajesh Bose) and mother, also overseer and protector during his ordeal (Sathya Sridharan) and family are forced to leave India due to the increasingly repressive government.

As the journey begins, so does the magic created by set and costume designer Tim Hatley. Turning the hospital room and bed into an ocean and a boat is nothing short of extraordinary and a visual extravaganza. As Pi jumps ship after being sunk in a storm, his companions consist of a giraffe, zebra, orangutan and Richard Parker. I don’t have to go into detail about the giraffe, zebra and orangutan. Suffice it to say, the battle is between Pi and Richard Parker and their mutual understanding of each other.

Unlike the movie— which relied mostly on special effects to engage the mass audiences—here religion and metaphysics play a big part in Pi’s survival and it is manifested in the scenes between the hospital and the ocean. Hiran Abeysekera originated the role of Pi (for which he won an Olivier Award last year as best actor) and he captures Pi’s innocence in the beginning as well as his struggles and ordeals with life, religion, and survival.

Special kudos have to go to all the handlers but especially those of Richard Parker, consisting of his head, his hind, and his heart, and his masterful voice is that of (Brian Thomas Abraham).

Life of Pi is a journey of mystical belief and an unforgettable visual treat and experience long after leaving the theatre.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 2, 2023
Reviewed at April 1, 2023 press performance.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Sonya Venugopal, Celia Mei Rubin & Hiran Abeysekera. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera, Mahira Kakkar & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Hiran Abeysekera, Mahira Kakkar & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rajesh Bose & Hiran Abeysekera. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rowan Magee, Celia Mei Rubin, & Nikki Calonge. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

‘LIFE OF PI’: Rowan Magee, Celia Mei Rubin & Nikki Calonge. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.