'Life of Pi' at the Ahmanson: An enchanting journey on the high seas

The earthy satellite is aswirl successful “Life of Pi,” a marvelously inventive signifier adaptation of Yann Martel’s 2002 Booker Prize-winning novel. This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of chaotic animals and, astatine 1 point, a schoolhouse of glowing fish.

Rather than effort to vie with the technological thrills of the 2012 movie that earned manager Ang Lee an Academy Award, this nationalist circuit of “Life of Pi” succeeds done magical simplicity. My senses were dazzled erstwhile I archetypal saw the amusement connected Broadway successful 2023, but my bosom was wholly won implicit astatine the Ahmanson Theatre, wherever this accumulation opened connected Wednesday.

Taha Mandviwala, left, Anna Leigh Gortner, Shiloh Goodin and Toussaint Jeanlouis successful the nationalist circuit of Life of Pi” astatine the Ahmanson.

(Evan Zimmerman)

The communicative revolves astir the endurance astatine oversea of a 17-year-old lad named Pi Patel (a mesmerizing Taha Mandviwala) aft the Japanese cargo vessel transporting his household sinks en way to Canada. The souls mislaid connected committee see Pi’s zookeeper father’s fantastical postulation of animals. In a lifeboat with hardly immoderate supplies for 227 days, Pi someway manages to flight the destiny that leaves his parents, sister and astir (but not all) of his bestial companions astatine the bottommost of the Pacific Ocean.

How did helium propulsion disconnected the miracle? That is the question posed astatine the commencement of Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation by 2 visitors to Pi’s infirmary room: Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) from the Japanese Ministry of Transport and Lulu Chen (Mi Kang), from the Canadian Embassy, some of whom person traveled to Mexico, wherever the lad was washed ashore.

Pi, whose mathematical sanction is derived from Piscine, the French connection for swimming pool, is recovering from his near-death journey. Mr. Okamoto, charged with preparing an authoritative report, is determined to find retired the nonstop circumstances of the shipwreck. But Pi is lone capable to subordinate the fanciful mentation of events that allowed him to past for truthful agelong astatine oversea without nutrient oregon drinkable water.

Taha Mandviwala,left, and Sorab Wadia and the nationalist circuit formed of “Life of Pi” astatine the Ahmanson.

(Evan Zimmerman)

The staging transitions successful dreamlike manner from the infirmary to Pondicherry, India, wherever Pi grew up successful a happy, hectic ferment of adolescence. Chakrabarti turns Pi’s teasing older brother, Ravi, successful the caller into an older sister named Rani (Sharayu Mahale), a mathematics whiz, successful the play. The organization aesculapian mounting becomes the inheritance for a communicative that doesn’t finely separate betwixt representation and imagination, 1 realm bleeding freely into the next.

Fortunately, the scenic plan of Tim Hatley, who besides did the costumes, isn’t bound by the accepted laws of physics. The perfectly adjudged video and animation plan of Andrzej Goulding, the magnificent lighting of Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling and the propulsive dependable of Carolyn Downing puts clip and abstraction nether the capable bid of manager Max Webster.

Pi’s household is moving to flight an progressively chaotic society. “This authorities shows america atrocious behaviour has nary consequences,” Pi’s begetter (Sorab Wadia) laments to his woman (Jessica Angleskhan), successful a enactment that lands otherwise contiguous than it did 2 years agone connected Broadway.

Pragun Bhardwaj, left, Taha Mandviwala and the nationalist circuit formed of “Life of Pi” astatine the Ahmanson.

(Evan Zimmerman)

When the accidental to relocate to Canada arrives, the prime is evident but nary little achy for being so. The animals, having nary 1 other to attraction for them, volition person to emigrate too, transforming the cargo vas into a modern-day Noah’s Ark.

An orangutan named Orange Juice, a hyena beyond the scope of quality feeling and, crucially, a royal Bengal tiger with an imperious mien named Richard Parker person salient roles successful Pi’s recollection of his harrowing voyage aft the shipwreck. These animals, the instauration of inspired puppet decorator Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, are fluidly deployed by a squad of graceful puppeteers, who sphere the indispensable dignity of these creatures without effacing their ferocity.

The show of Richard Parker, a growling behemoth of musculature and whiskers, is the astir fearsome. Pi, who feels astatine 1 with the earthy world, has to beryllium taught to beryllium acrophobic of a carnal that could extremity his beingness with a azygous swipe of his claw. (The harsh lesson, administered by his father, reaffirms Lord Tennyson’s representation of quality arsenic “red successful bony and claw.”)

Taha Mandviwala and the nationalist circuit formed of “Life of Pi.”

(Evan Zimmerman)

Although raised Hindu, Pi partakes of spiritual services from galore sects. His parent is bemused to perceive that her lad attended mosque, temple and religion connected the aforesaid day. There’s a beatified fool prime to the boy, who is the taxable of teasing. But Pi is precociously enlightened, his innocence not a occupation to beryllium rectified but a prime to beryllium reverenced.

In New York, Chakrabarti’s publication struck maine arsenic clumsy successful places, peculiarly successful the archetypal act. But I had nary specified misgiving astatine the Ahmanson, whether due to the fact that of immoderate flimsy editing oregon possibly conscionable a smoother handling of the setup moments.

Some mightiness defy the work’s spiritual earnestness, but I’d accidental it’s an perfect clip to see much profoundly our content system. If “Life of Pi” has a motivation to impart, it’s that what we choose to judge has arsenic profound an effect connected our acquisition of world arsenic what we rationally cognize to beryllium true.

Puppeteers Anna Leigh Gortner, Shiloh Goodin and Toussaint Jeanlouis successful the nationalist circuit of “Life of Pi” astatine the Ahmanson.

(Evan Zimmerman)

The play, pursuing the novel’s lead, is simply a parable of overcoming. Pi confronts calamity but refuses to suffer what gives his beingness meaning. He makes sacrifices that helium ne'er thought he’d person to make. A devout vegetarian, helium is forced to seizure and termination a swimming turtle, past stock the nutrient and humor with Richard Parker, a carnivore without conscience.

“Life of Pi” doesn’t dwell connected the deaths of Pi’s loved ones. A cloak of magical realism is thrown implicit aspects of the communicative that mightiness beryllium excessively disturbing. But the inexorable facts of mortality are glimpsed successful the mode the animals are depicted onstage.

As hunger overtakes Pi and Richard Parker, the tiger’s skeleton starts to telephone attraction to itself. The turtle is devoured earlier our eyes successful a mode that, portion cheekily theatricalized, doesn’t permission immoderate uncertainty that the terms of this repast is murder.

The nationalist circuit formed of “Life of Pi” astatine the Ahmanson.

(Evan Zimmerman)

But the acheronian of the communicative helps america spot the shimmering quality of the beingness that keeps Pi from succumbing to a watery grave. The signifier transforms into a planetarium of wonder. Are the meerkats that look adjacent the extremity of the communicative existent oregon a hallucination? What quality does it marque erstwhile Pi sees them arsenic intelligibly arsenic helium holds a speech with Richard Parker?

When helium yet offers Mr. Okamoto a starker relationship of what happened to him, a chronicle affirming his father’s long-held presumption that antheral is the astir unsafe carnal of all, the acquisition of “Life of Pi” is thrown into stark relief: Truth is not needfully the aforesaid happening arsenic wisdom.

Mandviwala’s show arsenic Pi makes this escapade communicative some exhilarating and emotionally profound. In circumnavigating distant seas, this majestic accumulation recovers immoderate mislaid treasure of childhood.