THE LIFE OF PI – Adapted from the Yann Martel novel by Lolita Chakrabarti; Directed by Max Webster. Presented by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Broadway (Buell Theatre, 14th and Curtis, Denver) through March 30. Tickets available at denvercenter.com and 303-893-4100.
I’d like to think that people read what I write knowing they are going to get a preview of what they will see if they choose to go see the show I’m writing about. Maybe a little more about the playwright, the history of the script or a little inside information. Here’s my tip for LIFE OF PI: Usually the seats midway in the Orchestra Center section are considered the best seats in the house. I’m going to tell you that , for this show, you can save a little money and buy balcony seats. in order to see the amazing projections, the full water effect, the sweet dance of the ensemble as they move in and out with puppets and small prop pieces, you actually need to be a little higher than the stage floor. So if you’re just now getting your tickets, try for the balcony.
It isn’t until you really look at the program and begin to see how everyone in this cast carries multiple roles and fills in around the edges as ensemble and everything else, that you begin to appreciate the versatility of this group of actors and puppeteers. For instance, the tiger puppet has eight people trained on his maneuvers. It makes me feel better to know that the center person of the trio it takes to make him pounce and prowl does not have to do the whole show bent over at the waist – that it gets passed around once and awhile. Without looking at the program, I never could have guessed that the actress who plays Pi’s mother – Jessica Angleskhan – also plays the nurse and an occasional orangutang. That everyone – except Taha Mandviwala playing Pi – has a role in transforming a room in a hospital to a zoo to a boat in the middle or the ocean and back again several times. The choreography of the scene set ups and the movement of the puppets through the air and water was like watching a ballet in sandals.
The story is easy to follow as it moves back and forth in Pi’s memory and the “present” day in the hospital. Pi’s presentation of his fantastical journey is dynamic, energetic and, as told, somehow believable. Which makes the ending all the more surprising (for those who haven’t read the book or seen the movie). The bigger puppets are segmented and include both an inanimate and a costumed human component. Your eyes learn to ignore the occasional human body part and follow the animals with believability. The score written by Andrew T. Mackay, greatly enhances both the storms at sea and the quiet floating for days on end. There is great tragedy and occasional humor played out on this stage.
For those who have read and admired the book, this is an evening of recollection. For those seeing a good story well told, this is an evening of discovery. For those who admire creativity and imagination in staging, this is a landmark.
A WOW factor of 8.5!!