Get on a small boat with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger in the majestic ‘Life of Pi’

What story do we choose to tell ourselves?

That’s the question the protagonist Pisine “Pi” Patel leaves audiences with at the end of Life of Pi.

Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation for the Tony-award winning production stays true to the eponymous Yann Martel novel from 2001 that has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Max Webster’s direction, along with Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes’ puppetry and movement direction creates whimsical magic, sweeping us through Pi’s unbelievable story.

Against the backdrop of political unrest in 1978 India, Pi’s family decides to pack up their zoo from the southern Indian city of Pondicherry and move to Canada, seeking passage on a cargo ship. But after a storm hits the ship and Pi is separated from his family, he finds himself stranded on a small boat with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Thereon, Pi relates the story of how he spent 227 days as a cast away and lived to tell the tale.

Martel’s story remains as magical as it did 24 years ago. “This government shows us bad behavior has no consequences,” Pi’s father tells his wife after vandals break into their zoo. In 2025, the parallels are not hard to draw.

Pi’s religious philosophy starts off by providing charming comedic relief and grows into something profound and weighty as he concludes his story. Drawing from Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, he tells us in the end, that we are just seeking to tell ourselves the best story.

Taha Mandviwala’s Pi is equal parts idealistic and pragmatic. We watch Pi struggle to maintain his faith, resolve, and vegetarianism as he fights for survival in the ocean. Never leaving the stage, Mandviwala’s performance is nothing short of a feat of athleticism. Perhaps the most engaging scene, Pi’s stand off with Richard Parker, is percussive and fierce, earning a roaring applause from the audience.

Tim Hatley’s scenic and costume design brings out the vibrancy of the production’s setting in India. Iridescent greens, bright oranges, white linens are complemented by projections of moving maps and water conducted with astonishing precision. If there is a fault, it is that the orchestra-level seating does not allow audiences the chance to enjoy the floor projections depicting the ocean.

The puppets, which depict all the animals — from Richard Parker to the tiny butterflies in Pondicherry — are nothing short of pure magic. With three puppeteers handling each of the larger animals, one may imagine the effect to lose its luster, but the cast maintains a Lion King-like level of sincerity and drama.

Combined with Andrew T. Mackay’s gorgeous Indian-style instrumental compositions, the production more than effective, and equal parts beautiful and gruesome.

Life of Pi interrogates questions of belief, purpose and the choices we make. In the end, audiences are left believing in the magic of theatre, as, if not God, Pi intends.

(Community/Arts) The Tony-winning Broadway adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel embarks on a national tour with a magical production with puppets and extraordinary stagecraft.

⌚️ Through July 27,📍 240 S Broad St, Phila., 🌐 ensembleartsphilly.org

Theater reviews are produced independently by The Inquirer without editorial input by their sponsor, Visit Philadelphia.