JADAR

★★★★☆

A best-selling novel. An award-willing film. The creatives behind Life of Pi had no easy job adapting it for the stage. Not only because the novel and film are so renowned but because of the great difficulty involved in making a stage play about a boy trapped on a boat with a Bengal tiger!

The novel was written by Yann Martel, CC, a Spanish-born French Canadian – and adapted to the big screen by the Taiwanese Ang Lee and to the stage twice previously by the British Keith Robinson. Now, at long last, this Indian story is being told by an actual Indian: Lolita Chakrabarti OBE, a Briton born to Bengali parents from India.

This adaptation premiered at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2019, before transferring the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End in 2021 and embarking on a UK tour this year. I reviewed the West End production for The Mancunion – and if The Mancunion did stars, I would have given it five.

Safe to say, the play is a roaring success!

The first night of the Lowry run was cancelled due to cast illness, as was today’s matinée. There are four actors who play Pi: Divesh Subaskaran, female alternates Adwitha Arumugam and Tanvi Virmani, and understudy Keshini Misha (who usually plays Rani).

Virmani saved the day on press night, with Misha covering Lulu Chen and Mrs Biology Kumar (who are usually played by Sharita Oomeer and Vinesh Veersami (who usually plays the Russian Sailor) covering Rani (the character is called “Ravi” when played by male actors).

Virmani recently starred in The Crown Jewels, a disappointing play which not even its all-star cast could save, yet the lesser-known actors, both people of colour, shone when onstage. It is great to now see Virmani in an excellently written play, where she can push herself to her limits. Virmani previously played Rani on the West End and covered the title role on a few occasions. She joins a handful of badass women who have played (slayed) the iconic, traditionally male character.

Virmani is a joy to watch. She immediately gets the audience on her side and has you rooting for her until the very end. Previous actors have played the role with more gravitas and vulnerability but Virmani’s more gentle take on the role works well most of the time and makes the viewing experience less intense and emotionally exhausting.

However, the scene in which she exerted control over the tiger lacked the drama and aggression of Nuwan Hugh Perera’s portrayal on the West End, which was so passionate and intense that, when Pi finally forced the tiger back, the audience erupted into applause, as if he had just performed a mind-blowing musical number. The touring production, overall, lacks the pizazz of the West End production (more on that later).

Whilst the mix of English and Indian accents in the West End production threw me off a little, the touring production has opted for English accents. I now realise that there is something special about the Indian characters having authentic Indian accents, especially when Pi is (mis)communicating with characters from other countries – most notably, during the interrogation with a Canadian official, a Japanese official and a Mexican nurse.

Every character is well-written and well-acted – not just the humans but also the animals (and even the trees)! With the exception of the crooked Cook, every human character is likeable (even if they do and/or say some questionable things) – but even Cook has clear motives.

Well-known stage actress Goldy Notay shines as Pi’s loving mother whilst Ralph Bertwell excels at capturing the tough love of Pi’s protective father. Understudy Vinesh Veersami was brilliant as Pi’s spirited and playful brother, Ravi, with whom Pi enjoys a typical love-hate sibling relationship.

Pi’s family is rounded off with Mamamji and Mrs. Biology Kumar, who were well-played by Chand Martinez and understudy Keshini Misha, respectively. Martinez also played Pundit-ji and Admiral Balbir Singh, which is no easy feet. As Lulu Chen and Mrs Okamoto, Misha and Lilian Tsang kept the audience transfixed in the tamer hospital scenes, whilst Tsang also plays the ship’s Captain. Antony Antunes is pretty terrifying as Cook, a character who could not be more different to his earlier role of the Father.

The most impressive part of the play is the puppetry, which rivals War Horse and The Lion King. Unsurprisingly, Puppetry and Movement Director Finn Caldwell worked on the former. The lifelike puppets were designed by Caldwell and Nick Barnes. The tiger – all of the animals, for that matter – is so lifelike, not only in design but also movement. You begin to stop noticing the actors controlling the puppet; it’s as if there is really a tiger onstage.

Romina Hytten, who won an Olivier Award alongside the other actors who played the tiger in the West End production, has returned for the tour. I believe the tiger cast varies at performances. On press night, we had Hytten, Akash Heer and Katie Kennedy-Rose. Sebastian Goffin was covering the role of the Russian Sailor whilst Kate Roswell was listed as “Ensemble & Puppeteers”. Katie Kennedy-Rose and Aizah Khan did not appear.

The play is, of course, set in India (and Mexico and, well, the ocean). The puppeteers, some of whom are White, wear traditional South Asian clothing. The play, amongst other things, is a celebration of India – whilst also acknowledging some of the sociopolitical problems over there.

Yann Martel’s philosophical novel is known for being an exploration of reality – and how it is perceived and told. Even if you are aware of the twist – from having read the novel or watched the film – the big reveal in the play will have you on the edge of your seat. As in the film, Pi makes the revelation verbally, but the play also portrays it physically, which is far more gripping and devastating.

Unfortunately, as aforementioned, the touring production lacks the spark of the West End production, which was more energetic, dramatic, and intense, and thus the stakes felt higher. The touring production, in comparison, occasionally feels a little flat. It’s as if Max Webster’s original direction, where everything was heightened, has been diluted and sanitised.

For instance, the scene in which Pi is exposed as a man who practises multiple religions: in the West End production, three religious leaders (a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian), all determined to have Pi as one of their own, battle it out, each criticising (and offending) the other two religions, from Christian “cannibalism”, to Hindu cow worship, to countless Muslim wives!

For some strange reason, this scene was cut short; the religious leaders merely tell the others that Pi cannot be at their place of worship because he has already said yes to them. It’s a real shame that the hilarious argument was discarded. As aforementioned, the novel was written as a piece of philosophy, and this scene was a brilliant debate about theology, in which each religious leader exposes illogicality in the other religions, in turn, revealing illogicality in their own. At its core, the scene exposed the insanity of tearing ourselves apart over religion – part of the play’s attempt to address the historical and cultural context of post-partition India, as written by a Briton born to Indian parents of Bengali heritage.

Then there’s the scene in which Pi’s father feeds a goat to the tiger to teach Pi and his brother a lesson, which plays out quickly in the touring production, whilst the West End version felt more fervent and harrowing, with Pi pleading more profusely and then breaking down. Annoyingly, Pi was stood directly in front of the animals during the attack, blocking the view of the audience. This might have also been the case in the West End production but I had been sat in the circle so I had a bird’s-eye view.

Initially, I was surprised that the PR had sat me in the circle, but I soon realised that the circle provides a better audience experience because of all of the incredible projections on the stage floor, especially during the scenes where Pi is out at sea. With every side of the stage covered in projections, you are drawn in.

The production has some of the best lighting (Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling) and video design (Andrzej Goulding) in the history of theatre, which compliment the gorgeous set and costume design (Tim Hatley), which are enchantingly exotic but never fetishistically oriental. Composer Andrew T. Mackay captures every essence of every scene, with splendid sound design by Carolyn Downing.

Sadly, in the stalls, where the Lowry sat press, you cannot see the projections on the stage floor. Every corner of the stage has been utilised by the designers so you can still appreciate the production as a visual feast but you cannot devour all of it.

A highlight of the West End production was the scene in which Pi jumps off the boat and falls through a masterfully hidden gap, which is made of some sort of soft material, in the stage floor, before popping back up through another gap. Sadly, as we were told by Caldwell at the showcase, most regional theatres do not have stages deep enough for this incredible trick.

Similarly, in the West End production, the boat is part of the stage: the centre of the stage rose up each time the play cut to Pi being on the boat. In the touring production, however, members of the cast bring on the exterior of the boat each time, which is far less striking but, unfortunately, not all theatres have such versatile stages.

I appreciate that some of the design elements simply cannot be replicated in a touring production and regional theatres but the shortening of scenes and decrease in drama are questionable creative decisions. The roaring West End production is my all-time favourite play whilst the touring production purrs but never bites.

Life of Pi runs at the Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until January 7 2024 and tours the UK and Ireland until June 29. The UK tour will be followed by a European tour.

Photo: Johan Persson