‘Life Of Pi’ Theater Review: A Metaphysical Journey On Raft With A Bengal Tiger

Seventeen-year-old Pi Patel (Hiran Abeysekera) sets sail on a Japanese cargo from Pondacherry, India bound for Canada with his family and a menagerie of animals from his family zoo.

The Life of Pi, a play based on Yann Martel‘s award-winning novel now playing on Broadway, is light of plot but heavy on the exploration of the human spirit.

After the cargo ship goes down in rough seas, Pi and a Bengal Tiger, named Richard Parker, are adrift on a raft lost at sea locked in a battle over life itself. What happened next is a bit of the mystery that the play attempts to untangle as Pi is questioned by an emissary for the Canadian embassy and the representative of the Japanese Transportation Department.

Using beautiful abstract stage puppeteers, the animals come to life with a bit of magical realism as Pi offers a fantastical version of events. After his inquisitors doubt the story, Pi offers an alternative version of events that paints a much grimmer tale. Which story is a better version of reality is really an existential question. But what is not in doubt is that Life of Pi takes audiences on an unforgettable journey they won’t soon forget.

Life of Pi is now playing on Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. Get tickets here.