Max Webster’s version of Life of Pi is being staged at Mumbai’s Nita Mukesh Ambani  Cultural Centre till December 22

We’ve read about Richard Parker in Yann Martel’s Man Booker Prize-winning 2001 novel Life Of Pi, or seen him in CG-animated form in Ang Lee’s 2012 Oscar-grabbing film version. For the uninitiated, or those who might want to jog their memory, Richard Parker is the name accidentally given to the Bengal tiger who forms the crux of the storyline.

For the past five years, this ferocious animal has been taken over by a group of puppeteers in the stage version of Life Of Pi, which after debuting in Sheffield, UK, in 2019, completed its West End run last year. Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Max Webster, the production now comes to India, and is being staged at Mumbai’s Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) till December 22.

Along with the tiger, the other attraction is the 16-year-old protagonist Piscine Molitor ‘Pi’ Patel. Interestingly, two actors will play the lead character in different shows. While this reviewer saw Malaysia-born, Singapore-raised Divesh Subaskaran act with perfection at the premiere, US-bred Sonya Venugopal plays the part in some shows. This isn’t the first time an actress is playing the boy’s role — last year, Chennai-raised, UK-settled Adwitha Arumugham did this!

The play begins with Pi (Divesh) in hospital, as officials try to find out details about how he survived a shipwreck. “My story will make you believe in God,” he declares, before he flashes back to his younger days, growing up around his family’s zoo in Pondicherry in the company of a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and, of course, the tiger. Pi believes in three religions — Hinduism, Islam and Christianity — and his parents, sister Rani and an uncle complete the family. The family members have some interesting conversations, with his father declaring, “Man is the most dangerous animal in the zoo.”

Besides the puppetry, designed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, what’s easily noticeable in the early stages is the contrasting use of colour schemes. The hospital ambience is grey, and an assortment of bright colours dominates the zoo scenes. With marvellous projection mapping and varying background music textures, the viewer is quickly convinced that in terms of sheer production, Life Of Pi is a class apart.

The narrative alternates between Pi’s revelations in the hospital, and actual enactments of what happened in the past. The play is set in the late 1970s. Disheartened by government policies, the family decides to move to Canada. A raging storm changes their fate, and after a shipwreck, Pi loses his family, and finds himself in the company of animals on a row-boat in the Pacific Ocean.

The story then talks of how Pi spent 227 days in the company of Richard Parker, after the hyena kills the zebra and orangutan, and then gets killed by the tiger. Pi builds a small raft to stay at a distance from the tiger, and though he initially wishes his companion would die of hunger, eventually realises he has no choice. A vegetarian, the famished Pi guiltily has turtle meat as the last resort. Going between past and present, the time transitions are smoothly handled.

Two broad kinds of people would watch the show. One would have read the book or seen the movie, and is, therefore, familiar with the storyline. The other would comprise those encountering Pi and Richard Parker for the first time. For the former, everything isn’t predictable, as certain theatrical twists come as a surprise.

Technical finesse

Whether one is familiar with the plot or not, the play deserves to be enjoyed for its sheer technical finesse. The depiction of the storm, the rotating row-boat and the flow of waves on a beach make Life Of Pi stunning visual and experiential spectacle. And there’s the puppetry. One actually sees three puppeteers attached to the tiger — one inside his body, one managing his head and one handling his movement from behind.

While Ang Lee’s film had Suraj Sharma, the initial stage shows in 2019 featured Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeysekara as Pi. Divesh has been associated with the play from the UK and Ireland tour last year. What’s noteworthy is that this is not only his stage debut, but also his first job out of college. Sonya has been associated with musical theatre, and acted in the film Little Boxes.

Produced by Simon Friend, this show has won numerous awards, including five Oliviers and three Tonys. However, it isn’t the first stage adaptation, as Keith Robinson had directed a version back in 2003. The new avatar boasts of big names. Director Max Webster is known in British theatre, having specialised in Shakespearean drama, opera and live music events. Lolita Chakrabarti, who has adapted Life Of Pi, has acted in many television series and plays, besides writing theatrical works such as Red Velvet, Invisible Cities and Hymn.