THEATRE REVIEW: Life of Pi at Sheffield Crucible

Sheffield Theatres’ Life of Pi is based on the award-winning book of the same name, written by Yann Martel and adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti - here's our verdict.

A MASTERCLASS in puppetry and sound is making waves at the Crucible — which has been transformed into a floating zoo for the latest home-grown production.

Sheffield Theatres’ Life of Pi is based on the award-winning book of the same name, written by Yann Martel and adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti.

After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, there are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat — a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a hungry Bengal tiger, oh and 16 year-old boy Piscine, known as Pi.

Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?

Kind-natured Pi, whose youthful wide-eyed naivety is beautifully captured by Hiran Abeysekera, becomes lost at sea after the ship carrying his family and their zoo from India to Canada sinks.

The story is told through flashback by Pi, as he is visited in hospital by Canadian government officials.

The Crucible’s round stage seamlessly transforms from hospital bed to ship to busy Indian street scene as Pi talks about his loving family.

It was great to see Mina Anwar return to the theatre after her triumph in Sheffield Theatres’ critically-acclaimed Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (the film version is currently being shot in the city). 

Anwar play’s Pi’s doting mum and brings warmth to the role as she plays referee between Pi and his sister Rani (Tara Divina), who enjoys playfully teasing her brother.

As wonderful as this small cast are, it is the animals they bring to life that are the real stars of the show, particularly the majestic and almost life-size tiger, hilariously named Richard Parker (which never failed to make me laugh).

The puppets are controlled by the supporting cast who skilfully manoeuvre around the stage and embody their animal.

Sound and visuals play a huge part in the production and are some of the best I have seen in a long time, along with some very clever stage trickery which drew gasps from the audience when Pi appeared to dive off stage.

On the surface, the survival drama may seem like a cute, family-friendly puppet show but as the conclusion nears it becomes apparent all is not what it seems.

King of the jungle Abeysekera is a charming, engaging lead who captured my imagination and left audience members wide-eyed and wowed. 

Life of Pi is at the Sheffield Crucible until July 20

Related topics: