Writer: Yann Martel
Adapter: Lolita Chakrabarti
Director: Max Webster
Lolita Chakrabarti’s Olivier award winning stage adaptation on Yann Martel’s story of love, loss and a Bengal Tiger, returns to Sheffield, this time to the Lyceum Theatre.
Pi (Divesh Subaskaran) and his family run a zoo in India, when civil unrest forces them to move themselves and all the animals to Canada for a new life.
On route to Canada, the boat inexplicable sinks, killing everybody on board except for Pi… or perhaps not, perhaps there were more survivors. It all depends on which of Pi’s stories about his 227 days at sea you believe.
The stage adaptation of Martel’s incredible story of a one young person’s ordeal and coping mechanisms in the wake of severe trauma, premiered at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2019 before transferring to the Wyndhams Theatre in London in 2021. The play received rave reviews from critics and audiences in both the Sheffield and London productions.
Subaskaran’s performance as Pi is jaw dropping, displaying the youthful innocence of the character and battling with puppets like he is indeed fighting for his life.
The style of acting throughout the cast feels a little presentational, at times feeling like they are introducing a circus, rather that speaking with another person. One can’t help but feel that director Max Webster gave everything over to the set and puppets for the piece, and the humanity of the acting fell by the wayside.
Having said that, the attention to detail in the puppets and set certainly creates a magnificent effect. Richard Parker, puppeteered by Sebastian Goffin, Akash Heer, Romina Hytten, Katie Kennedy-Rose, Aizah Kahn and Katie Roswell is an incredible feat of engineering by designers Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell. Manoeuvring perfectly as a feline and brining the air of fear and suspense to the piece.
The puppetry is world class throughout the piece, and certainly the jewel in the crown of the performance. The set by Tim Hatley and video design by Andrzej Goulding transports the audience from an Indian Zoo to market, out to sea and back to a dank hospital room seamlessly, creating a smooth storytelling style that grips the audience.
Life of Pi is a masterclass in puppetry, storytelling and technical theatre, very much worth seeing and believing.
Runs until 16th September 2023, before continuing on tour.
The Reviews Hub Score
A Puppetry Masterclass
