REVIEW: Life Of Pi at Mayflower Theatre

If you could share a desert island (or boat) with one person, who would it be? I bet the answer to that question wouldn’t be a Bengal Tiger. ‘Life Of Pi’ has sailed its way into Mayflower Theatre, and I for one was very excited to see this multi-award winning play. Holding five Oliviers and three Tonys, this play has already put itself up there as one of the big, must-see plays in the theatre world. I’m sure a lot of people have heard of ‘Life Of Pi’, most likely from the 2012 film of the same name. However this isn’t just a stage adaptation of the movie, it’s a stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel. So we know that Martel’s story translates well onto the big screen, but will it translate well onto the stage? I think playwright Lolita Chakrabati has found the sweet spot between fantasy and reality perfectly in telling this story live.

If you’re unaware of the story, to keep the sense of mystery and to avoid spoilers, it follows a young boy – ‘Pi’ – and his story of when he gets stranded at sea with certain animals. Now if you’ve seen the movie, you will also be aware that it heavily relies on the use of CGI when it comes to the animals (particularly the tiger). Obviously this is a big problem when trying to bring a story to life on stage, and if anyone is thinking, no they didn’t use real animals. Instead they used puppets, and these puppets are insanely impressive. Other shows such as ‘The Lion King’ and ‘War Horse’ use similar puppetry techniques, and ‘Life Of Pi’ has followed in their footsteps superbly.

The whole cast has been directed and choreographed to perfection.

Without the puppets, I don’t think this show would be anywhere near as impressive as it is. The puppets make the show, but the cast have an integral role in all of this. Heading the cast tonight was Adwitha Arumugam as ‘Pi’, making ‘Pi’ a female character for the night. I love it when shows have the ability to do this with characters, especially leading ones. It’s something that throws you off to begin with, but then as it plays on you understand it. Adwitha was fantastic either way. She had a great bond with the puppets and used her movement brilliantly. In fact the whole cast has been directed and choreographed to perfection. There’s so much of this play that relies heavily on the movement of set or discrete character pieces; Max Webster (director) and Finn Caldwell (puppetry & movement director) have nailed this here! Hats off to the all of the cast because discrete movements that the story depends on, are so much harder and more important than the ability to learn a monologue in my opinion.

I’ve already briefly mentioned the puppets which were phenomenal, but the set was also one that you’d expect to see win awards (which it has!). The set was stunning. It was clever, intricate, big, and beautiful. In a second you could be transported from Mexico, to the ocean, to India – and it was seamless. This was definitely aided by the impressive lighting set up as well however. I’ve been to a few shows recently that have used digital effects, which do work but are nowhere near as effective as physical ones. The lighting and projections of when it was raining/thundering were particularly impressive – and just the way the depicted the ocean really really worked.

There was one moment where the ‘big ship’ was travelling the world and to show the route of this, there was a projected mini map showing its direction with a physical small steam boat that was puppeteered across the stage. The red laser lighting showing its ‘path’ as it continued its way across the stage was a great touch. This is something so simple and quick, but I just loved it! 

If you’re a fan of a hearty, thought-provoking story – then this play is for you.

Not only was the puppeteering of the puppets amazing, I think it was the overall design of them which was something abstract and different to what has previously been seen on stage. They are pieces of art. The tiger, the orangutan, the hyena, and the zebra. All incredible. The music was played through a soundtrack and I think this is one of the only times that I think it didn’t need a live band/orchestra. It would’ve been overkill, and the soundtrack did its job perfectly. 

I had actually never seen the movie before tonight so was going in with completely fresh mind and not really sure what to expect. The story was brilliant. A little bit slow at times I must admit, but come the second act, that’s where things really start to get exciting. I didn’t get lost once during the show, but I do wish that they shuffled a couple of bits on a little bit quicker. Having said this however, I think this is more just the nature of how plays work. If you were a fan of the movie or book and haven’t seen ‘Life Of Pi’ yet, you’re definitely missing out! Likewise if you’re a fan of a hearty, thought-provoking story – then this play is also for you. ‘Life Of Pi’ is at Mayflower theatre until the 18th May before continuing on its UK tour, and if you’re around and fancy being impressed, go give it a watch. I wish all the cast and crew the best of luck going forward, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them with some more silverware soon.