The Life of Pi: What it means to be lost and found

From the moment the curtain rose at Charlotte’s Belk Theatre for The Life of Pi, the production felt nothing short of miraculous.The stage starts with a muted room and just a bed in what looks to be an Asylum. As the therapist and investigator try to appease the lead character, Pi, to come out from under the bed flashbacks of his traumatizing experience come to the surface. 

The set design,puppetry, lighting, projections—is what defines this staging. There’s a really cool horseshoe layout that allows the audience an intimate look into the world of Pi . The puppeteers breathe life into the zoo animals—Richard Parker, the hyena, zebra and orangutan—with realistic movement and sounds. 

Based on all the set design alone I rate this one a 5 out of 5. All of the moving parts and wonderful artwork and colors that dance around the stage at any given moment make for a perfect story of adventure and tragedy. The lifeboat staging was the part that I was waiting for and even though at times it seemed a bit overcrowding (surely due to the puppeteers), the scene still delivered what it needed to feel the emotion of panic and uncertainty in the moment. 

The Life of Pi delivered a nice blend of spectacle and substance. It’s not only impressive tech wise, but it immerses the viewer emotionally. Whether you’re connecting to Pi’s philosophical questions or simply swept away by the illusion of Ruchard Parker (tiger) and ocean onstage, the work stays with you long after leaving the theatre.