During early discussions to adapt Yann Martel’s 2001 novel ‘Life of Pi’ as a Broadway show, what Finn Caldwell was most excited about was a potential story arc between the young protagonist Pi Patel and a tiger named Richard Parker.
The stage adaptation of ‘Life of Pi’ – incorporating all the magical elements and profound vision of the Booker-winner – opened last week at the Grand Theater of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center (NMACC) in Mumbai. It follows the journey of a shipwrecked Indian Nayak P Patel He survives 200 days at sea with zebras, hyenas, orangutans and Royal Bengal tigers.
Apart from its attractive visual effects, what makes this show a unique experience is the amazing performance of the puppets. The show of this five-time Olivier Award-winning production will be held until December 22.
Owen Gwynn and Kate Colebrook (Richard Parker the Tiger) Photo by Johan Persson.
Using animal puppets was a “no-brainer” for Caldwell, who had previously collaborated with director Max Webster. “The idea of a boy and a tiger trapped together on a boat provided a great opportunity to develop a believable, nuanced and emotional relationship for all time,” says the puppet and movement director. Another draw for him, of course, was the opportunity to build “a devastatingly beautiful and terrifying tiger puppet.”
The team of puppeteers, however, had two major concerns when creating the show. “Can tigers really be scary?” Second, “How can we be at sea for the second half?” For Caldwell, the answer to both questions was to take the audience on an imaginative journey. “Life of Pi is a story of stories. Theater is a good medium for this,’ he says.
Playwright Lolita Chakraborty had a different approach and interest in the stage adaptation of the novel. “I deconstructed the novel for its story beats, dialogue, vision and characters and then chose what helped tell the dramatic story. I had to invent a lot but most of it was inspired by the novel,” she recalls.
EK Allan James as Hyena (Photo by Eli Kurtz.)
Considering that the screen adaptation of the novel received a lot of love and appreciation, did Chakraborty feel the pressure to come up with a catchy adaptation? “Until the first public performance, I was very focused on the task at hand: how best to tell this modern classical story. Then, when we were about to open in front of our first audience, all kinds of negative voices entered my mind,” she recalls.
Chakraborty believes her Indian roots helped shape the script. “It’s the story of an Indian family who migrated to Canada. It’s about the love between them, life without them, and reinventing themselves in a new place. These are all things that are familiar to me and, of course, my faith, food, relationships. , and my references to Indian parental expectations are all drawn from my own life,” says the playwright-actor.
Caldwell believes that ‘Life of Pi’ is about the fact that the stories we tell ourselves create the world around us. “Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals whether we live in a world with spiritual dimensions or purely material needs. I find this useful to remember as we face the challenges and complexities of the modern world.
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