‘Life of Pi’ is a Sensational

Tale of the Human Spirit

   by Pat Lindsey

‘Life of Pi’ is a stellar achievement in storytelling and compelling theatre. It grips the audience and keeps them mesmerized with mind-blowing puppetry and visual effects. It’s an intense visual and emotional experience unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.

‘Life of Pi’ is a story of survival, belief, and the strength of the human spirit. Pi Patel is a 17 year-old Indian boy who has been trying to lead a spiritual life in India while juggling three different religions–Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. He and his family run a zoo. Due to political unrest in their village of Pondicherry in 1976, Pi’s family decides to flee to Canada to begin a safer, more peaceful life. They pack up their zoo animals and board a cargo ship for their long voyage across the Pacific Ocean. During the trip, a storm sinks the ship. Everyone in Pi’s family perishes.

When the show begins, we meet Pi in a hospital bed in Mexico. An insurance investigator, played by Alan Ariano, has come to record Pi’s story of how he became the sole survivor of the shipwreck and managed to live at sea for 227 days. His disbelief in Pi’s story compels Pi to tell three different versions. As Pi relives his heart-wrenching journey, the audience tries to decide which version to believe.

Taha Mandviwala is outstanding in the role of Pi. He is the heart of this show and he tugs at our heartstrings the entire time he’s lost at sea. His physicality is nearly super-human as he leaps from the lifeboat to a small raft to protect himself from being eaten by Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger. He performs similar physical feats in his hospital room, giving the audience the feeling that he’s losing his mind. His energy and storytelling are remarkable.

The puppeteers are in a class of their own. The precision with which they operate the exotic animals is magnificently choreographed. It takes three people moving in perfect synchronization beneath the life-size body of the tiger to make it come to life.   Some of the animals are so terrifying and life-like that it’s easy to forget they are puppets.

Enough cannot be said about the scenic and costume design, video and animation, lighting and sound. Transforming the stage floor into an ocean is sheer genius, as are the thunderstorms, lightning and rain. An original score by composer Andrew T. Mackay is the undercurrent for Pi’s life at sea, but it does not make this a musical. ‘Life of Pi’ is a dramatic work of theatrical art.

For optimal appreciation of the special effects, elevated theatre seats would be preferable. I always sit in the orchestra section, but a balcony seat for this show was perfect. I had a birds-eye view of the ocean and the muscular movements of the animals and actors without seeing the underpinnings.

‘Life of Pi’ is based on the book by Yann Martel and was adapted to the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti. It was published in 2001. The film, directed by Ang Lee, won four Academy Awards in 2013. This stage production is directed by Max Weber.

‘Life of Pi’ will be spellbinding audiences at the Fabulous Fox now through Oct. 19. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accompany Pi on this spectacular journey. Tickets are available through Metrotix at 314-534-1111 or visit The Fox box office.   For more information, visit fabulousfox.com.

photos: Pi Patel with a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker, and the Indian boy’s nemesis as they travel on the ocean together ,

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