CHARLOTTE — The award-winning Broadway and West End play “Life of Pi” opened in Charlotte on Tuesday.
The renowned production is based on Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. The story chronicles a young boy’s epic journey of survival, spirituality and the power of storytelling after a shipwreck leaves him stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with an orangutan, zebra, hyena, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
“Life of Pi” kicked off its national tour in December 2024. Since then, the cast and crew have been touring around the country to 30 cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and now the Queen City.
One of the most unique features of the play is its elaborate puppetry, led by U.S. assistant puppetry director, Betsy Rosen.
Rosen says the “high-tech, low-tech” method of puppetry in the show is deeply ingrained in the storytelling.
In London, the show made history at the Olivier Awards when all eight puppeteers won the award for Best Supporting Actor for the character of Richard Parker.
“It was such a triumphant moment for the art of puppetry, but also the performing world in general, to say that it’s not just a singular sport,” Rosen said. “You know that it’s a group effort a lot of times.”
Additionally, the show won three Tony Awards for its “cinematic” design elements.
Bringing the puppets to life
Rosen says this is the first time many of the puppeteers have taken on a role like this. She said some come from dance or gymnastics backgrounds, but that doesn’t stop the awe-inspiring artistry of the animals in this show.
“It’s magic,” Rosen said. “It really is magic.”
But pull back the curtain, and the puppeteers are using a unique method to bring the tiger to life.
Rosen says all of the animal noises in the show are live. Puppeteers manipulating the animals wear microphones, meaning they are unable to communicate with each other through speech during the performance.
The Bengal tiger, for example, is made up of three actors — one controls the head, another the ribcage, and a third person manipulates the hind.
The puppeteers say they communicate through breath to signal movements in the puppet.
“It’s very good tool to use, to not only bring the character to life, but to also really help us communicate,” Aaron Haskell, who operates the head of the tiger said.
Taha Mandviwala as Pi
Taha Mandviwala, the actor who stars as Pi, came into acting in an unconventional way.
He was studying on a pre-med track at the University of Kentucky when he discovered his love for theater and decided to pursue it as a career.
Mandviwala says touring with the show has been an incredible experience.
“It’s the most intense role I’ve ever done in my life, physically, emotionally, like across the board, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said. “And equally, it’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
He says Pi is a fascinating character.
“It makes you think about your own relationship to spirituality, and what that actually means at a practical level, to believe in something and to, like, believe in something bigger than yourself,” Mandviwala said.
Mandviwala and critics alike say “Life of Pi” is a one-of-a-kind experience.
“There is nothing like this on the touring circuit right now,” he said. “Most people, when they think of puppetry, their first experience is ‘Sesame Street,’ ‘Avenue Q,’ ‘The Lion King’ — the show is not like any of those."
“Life of Pi” runs through Sunday evening. For more information, including how to get tickets, visit the Blumenthal Arts website.
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