Ensemble Arts Philly is presenting Life of Pi at the Academy of Music until July 27, 2025. 

Life of Pi comes from it’s 2023 Broadway run where it won three Tony Awards. While in London, it won an Olivier for Best Play. Their tour continues to Charlotte, North Carolina, appearances in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, Texas, traveling on to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in October. 

Based on the novel by Yann Martel, adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti, Life of Pi is the story of a family in India who own and run a zoo during civil unrest. Their sixteen-year-old son Pi, possesses a vivid, childlike imagination encouraged by the menagerie of animals he lives with everyday. When the father decides to leave India for Canada, along with the zoo, the story takes a harsher side of reality, where the vegetarian family must cope aboard a freighter where the crew are omnivores. Soon, a storm in the Pacific Ocean destroys the ship, with Pi, his family, crew members, and animals all fend for themselves to survive. Thereby hangs the tale of what happens during the 250 plus days at sea that Pi survived to tell his tale in a Mexican hospital to an insurance agent and psychologist.  

Is Pi on a lifeboat with an orangutan, a zebra, hyena, and a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker? Or, is he aboard with humans? The audience must decide if dehydration, starvation, PTSD, and a host of traumas affected the teen’s mind. 

Life of Pi has incredible stagecraft, amazing puppeteers animating the animals, and a constantly, fantastical reorientation of reality. The puppeteers aren’t clad in black, but meant to be seen to illustrate the tour-de-force that is the production. 

Taking pride of place in the program is Tim Hatley, for his Scenic and Costume Design. Not since The Lion King has there been such stage magic. Finn Caldwell created the Puppetry and Movement Direction of the fantastical Puppets designed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell himself. Adding Lighting Design by Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling, makes for a compelling story for Composer Andrew T. Mackay to tell. All this is under the Direction of Max Webster.

As Pi, Taha Mandviwala is outstanding. He seldom leaves the stage. He is the driving force during much of the movement and dialog. He is an incredible actor.

Forced by the Investigator to recount the horrible months close to death all the time, can Pi be believed? Why are no humans surviving, only animals? There may be more to one story. Maybe two, maybe three stories told by a teenager who has suffered much in one year, and still recovering in hospital. While growing up in India, Pi attended a variety of Religious ceremonies, feeding his active imagination. As Life of Pi unfolds, the audience must make up it’s own story.

Life of Pi is great theatre indeed. Spectacle, humanity, thrills and faith are all exposed, interrogated, and celebrated in  Life of Pi

Tickets are still available at www.ensembleartsphilly.org