LIFE OF PI

OMG! This Broadway play that’s being presented at the Ahmanson right now is stunning! On every level. It’s definitely a “must-see!”

Life of Pi is based on the revered 2001 novel by Yann Martel, as was the 2012 Ang Lee-directed film. Having neither read the book nor seen the movie, (please don’t judge; I’m a busy girl!,) all I knew about the story going in is that there’s a boy and a tiger on a lifeboat. But that was enough for me, as the trailers for the presentation were definitely inviting. I was thrilled to be on my way to the theatre to see it.

And it was even better than I had imagined. I actually cry, as I did at the end of the show, every time I explain it to someone. I was, surprisingly to myself, the first one to jump out of my seat to give the actors a standing ovation on opening night, an act which I’m usually hesitant to start. But I couldn’t help myself; I had been engrossed in the action all night.

At one point during the second half, I realized that I had even forgotten to breathe in a while! My fellow audience members were uniformly saying “Wow” at the first act curtain. (And this time there is an actual curtain that does come down, which is not the norm in these days of bare stages.) My friend, Roz, said it’s the best show she’s ever seen with me. (I still feel terrible that Mr. X missed it, but we were having a stressful technical situation that week, which, compared to what Pi goes through, was actually not a big deal. So Life of Pi is also educational in that it teaches us to calm down with what we all perceive as problems in our day-to-day lives!)

The plot is simple enough. A teenage Indian boy’s family owns a local zoo, and he has a very happy life. And he’s always searching for God in several religions. And that’s all mostly humorous. Then, early on, the family decides to emigrate to Canada, (animals included,) due to “The Emergency,” (which was an almost-two-year threat-filled period in the mid-’70s during which a state of emergency was declared by the Indian Prime Minister.) Pi, his parents, his sister, and the zoo denizens board a cargo ship, which ultimately sinks with just about everyone on board, and Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with a trio of animals, including the infamous Bengal tiger who appears in every image of the tale. And that’s where the main action takes place, told from Pi’s hospital bed, in flashbacks, to an investigator from the shipping company.

And trust me, the entire presentation is riveting. Everything about the boat scenes, especially, is extraordinary.

I had erroneously thought this show was going to be all visuals, so I was pleasantly surprised by the many simple yet clever, deep, or thought-provoking lines, such as, “Fear poisons everything,” “We are all children,” and especially, “Man is the most dangerous animal in the zoo,” which turns-out to be a prescient statement.

There’s also my favorite, “Yarn-spinning is a good way to pass the time.” Don’t I know it! (I think I’m going to add “Yarn-Spinner” to my title on my business cards now!)

There’s sooooo much to laud about Life of Pi, but no one more deserving than the star and the puppet actors, the latter of which I’ll get to in a moment. But as gorgeous and remarkable as all the animals are, the show is fully carried by the performance of Taha Mandviwala, who plays Pi. The only time he leaves the stage is at intermission! (That boy must have some strooong vocal cords!) His physicality is so easy and natural, yet oh so dynamic. Roz says that he “generates energy upon energy.” She added that his stage presence is a “revelation,” an assessment with which I concur. She told me that she had never seen someone like that before. (My revelation was that I didn’t get thirsty during the show when Pi kept mentioning how thirsty he is!) [Note: I believe that a different actor does the role on certain dates, so perhaps check on that when you’re choosing your tickets.]

As far as the all-important tiger and his fellow animals go, I have always been fascinated with the art of puppetry, (Howdy Doody was my man in the ’70s,) but what Life of Pi brings us is not even in the same category as other puppets. What these designers and puppeteers accomplish is nothing short of amazing, a word I use only when something truly deserves that designation. [Note: I believe the company’s puppeteers rotate for every performance, so I can’t name the actual people I saw.] As ferocious and terrifying as the tiger is most of the time, (I sat about halfway back, and I was still scared whenever he was on the move,) there are a few minutes in the second half where he’s downright charming. He was practically Hobbes, (from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. What is it with boys and their tigers?)

And every single special effect is, well, indeed special! And often brilliant. And beautiful. The storm and ocean, in general, are fantastic, and I was especially drawn to the glowing fish. I rarely even noticed the performers who were participating in bringing those lovely moments to us.

In addition to all the visual fabulousness, there’s so much more to the narrative than I expected. From the trailers for both this play and the baker’s-dozen-years-old film, I had assumed that Life of Pi was just a tale of adventure on the high seas; I had no idea about the circle-of-life lessons and philosophical aspects of it. (I could have lived without seeing the animals-eating-each-other scenes, though, but that’s basically the crux of the tale. Vegetarians be warned.)

The show is all so fascinating, but I really had to give some thought to the raison d’etre of the story. As shallow as I am, I think it’s about the survival of man and the search for god. As to that latter concept, when Pi talks to his fam about all the religions he’s interested in, he queries, “Aren’t they just versions of the same thing?” That hit home with me, because I always wonder that myself. Isn’t God just God?

And, as far as survival goes, I realized, in retrospect, that I relate to the story on a strange level. I, too, was a teenager on my own in a scary world, although LA is not exactly the Indian Ocean. But I did have to fight off my share of terrifying “animals,” and I was all alone in this town with no family or friends. As Pi is, I’m also lucky to have survived; I always marvel at my incredible luck to have not only done that, but to have thrived. I have a feeling that this show will trigger a memory like that for everyone who sees it.

On a very serious real world level, when I got settled in my spot-on seat at the theatre, and gave a quick perusal of the info in the program, it hit me that the setting of the play is India. And I could not help but spare a thought for the conflict that country was going through with Pakistan at that very time, (which, thankfully, seems to have ended this morning.) And then, as I was watching Pi’s family discuss “getting out of India,” it occurred to me that’s what many current citizens must be saying or thinking about in that region at that very same time.  The written-many-years-ago dialogue continued, “There’s critical interest in India at the moment.” That is, very sadly, so now.

I always love to give a shout-out to my own Indian connection when I can, so this is a perfect occasion to do so again. The super-quick version is that when I was a teenager, (as Pi is,) I came out to LA from Brooklyn for just a couple of weeks in the summer, and had such a good time that I wanted to stay, but, sadly, knew that I had to go home. The person who convinced me to stay, (not at all for his own advantage, by the way,) was an Indian guy named Krishna. His beautiful accent made him sound so wise, which convinced me as much as his sage words did. And that means that I owe my whole happy life to Krishna. So I always credit the entire nation of India for that happiness.

Lastly, here’s some extra good news for all SoCal peeps: If you don’t have time to see Life of Pi at the Ahmanson, you have an additional almost-two weeks to see it at the beautiful Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa. It’s so wonderful that I suggest you see it at both!

Life of Pi running through June 1, 2025
Ahmanson Theatre 135 N. Grand Avenue
213-972-4400 www.centertheatregroup.org

And then:

Life of Pi running June 3-15, 2024
Segerstrom Center for the Arts 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
714-556-2787 www.scfta.org