SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 4, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- The Broadway touring show "Life of Pi," based on the 2001 Yann Martel novel and previously retold in the 2012 film, leaves questions unanswered in all its incarnations.
Pi, a teenager from India, is the sole survivor of a sinking cargo ship that was carrying his family, their zoo animals, and the ship's crew toward Canada. But what really happened, a no-nonsense insurance investigator wants to know.
The story takes the audience from Pi's austere hospital bed to a lush setting in India, and over churning seas, with the use of lighting, fog, and multi-use set pieces. There are puppeteers who can make crafted artistic pieces come to life as butterflies and fully jointed animals including a goat, a zebra, an orangutan, and a tiger, capable of using movement to express fear, playfulness or a murderous threat.
"Life of Pi" is a visual wonder, and tells a nearly unbelievable story of hope, bravery, survival, and differing points of view. Troubling themes include death, physical attacks, and possible cannibalism. Viewer discretion is advised for younger and more sensitive audiences.
Remaining shows in the limited Broadway at the Eccles run are at 7:30 p.m. tonight, April 4; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Find tickets through this link. The Eccles Theater is at 131 S. Main St., Salt Lake City.
Pi is played by Taha Mandviwala, who brings his character's full vigor, buoyancy, intellectual curiosity, and post-traumatic turmoil to the role. Richard Parker, a tiger so named due to a clerical error, seems to be the main threat to his survival in a lifeboat, not counting a lack of food and water.
Richard Parker stealthily prowls, stalks, pounces, and ambushes through the movements of three master puppeteers, who are partially visible as they work the tiger frame's head, torso, back legs, and tail.
The puppetry and movement direction, by Finn Caldwell, are masterful, as are sets and costumes by Tim Matley and puppet designs by Caldwell and Nick Barnes.
Video and animation design by Andrzej Goulding, combined with sound by Carolyn Downing and lighting by Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling, turn a previously empty stage into a village in monsoon climate, then a barren hospital setting, then an open boat on an agitated seascape.
Director Max Webster brings the story and storytellers together for this life and death story of unlikely survival. It's well worth seeing if you can handle the subject matter, and enjoy puppetry with visible puppeteers.
The overall visual effect is something you probably haven't seen on a Utah stage before, and may not see again soon. If you get the chance, it is well worth seeing.
