Review: LIFE OF PI at Keller Auditorium

From the moment the curtain goes up at the Keller Auditorium, LIFE OF PI transports you into a world of creativity and imagination. We don’t get many straight plays in the Broadway in Portland series, which is perhaps why this production is billed as a “theatrical experience.” This is appropriate because it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. Everything about it is stunning, from excellent performances to spectacular technical elements, evocative puppetry, dance-like movement, and even an original score by Andrew T. Mackay.

Adapted from Yann Martel’s best-selling novel by Lolita Chakrabarti, the story centers on Pi, a teenage boy whose family runs a zoo in Pondicherry, India. Political upheaval forces them to flee their home, and they secure passage on a cargo ship to Canada – along with their zoo animals. When a storm hits and the ship sinks, Pi finds himself stranded in a lifeboat, alone except for a few animals, including a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The play is about faith, hope in the face of adversity, human nature and our capacity for survival, and how storytelling helps us make sense of it all.

Taha Mandviwala is phenomenal as Pi, masterfully capturing both the naive wonder of youth and the hard-won wisdom of someone forced to grow up quickly in unimaginable circumstances. I rode the emotional (and literal) waves right along with him at every moment.

Mandviwala’s performance is matched by the production's incredible artistry. All of the animals are puppets, manipulated with such delicacy and lifelike precision that it's easy to forget the puppeteers are even there (especially impressive since three puppeteers are required for Richard Parker alone). This reinforces the play's central theme of storytelling and the suspension of disbelief.

In addition to the puppets, the production features brilliant technical design by Tim Hatley (scenic and costume), Andrzej Goulding (video and animation), and Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling (lighting), which transforms the stage seamlessly between a sterile hospital room and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, making periodic stops in a zoo, a bustling street market, and a cargo ship. It really is breathtaking.

While the production is truly spectacular, at the same time LIFE OF PI is a meditative play, asking us to consider how narrative shapes our own understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Ultimately, this is storytelling at its most magical. It will leave you with a sense of wonder, not just at the technical accomplishment but at the resilience of the human body and spirit, and at our ability to find meaning in even the most desperate circumstances.

LIFE OF PI runs through April 13. Details and tickets here.

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