Seeing so much theatre, and seeing most of it as a reviewer, has had an adverse effect: I no longer love seeing theatre in the way that I did when I was merely a casual viewer. Sure, I enjoy it very much, but it has lost its buzz and excitement because I do it so much – and I usually do it for work. Further, I have seen so much amazing theatre that it now takes a lot to impress me. Even if something is amazing, I often feel like I’ve seen it before – because, well, I have.
But there are some productions that truly standout, and one of those productions is the stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi – which is, without a doubt, my favourite play.
Now, I’m a musical theatre kid; when watching a play, I’m left wondering, where are the music numbers?! That’s to say, it really takes a lot for a play not only to impress me but to keep me interested. But Life of Pi had me gripped from start to finish – and, by the end, I was in tears.
So, when it was announced that the acclaimed play was touring the UK and docking at The Lowry over the holidays, I roared with excitement.
The Lowry kicked off its marketing campaign with an exclusive showcase in the Pier Eight Rooms. We sat on circular tables draped with white cloths and were given a few gifts, such as a tote bag and gluten-free and vegan shortbread (I’m gluten-free and my friend, Leah, is vegan so we were very impressed). It’s always lovely when a theatre makes a real effort to launch a show – not only because it’s fun but because it’s clear that the theatre feels passionately about the production.
The event was kicked off by Steve Cowton, Head of Theatre Operations, before Matthew Eames, Head of Theatres (Contemporary and Commissioning) introduced us to the play’s playwright, Lolita Charakbarti OBE, and its puppet and movement director and designer, Finn Caldwell. After watching a brief but enticing trailer, Cowton asked Chakrabarti and Caldwell a series of questions, but before questions were opened up to the audience, we had an unexpected visitor… the tiger!
The tiger, controlled by three puppeteers, crept into the room and proudly colonised the stage, before pouncing over the people below. Chakrabarti and Caldwell gave us information about the tiger but we were all too mesmerised by the tiger to take in what they were saying; I just recall Chakrabarti telling us that Martel insisted that the animals must never be cuddly.
The tiger, also known as “Richard Parker”, then crept its way through the audience. It was genuinely a bit scary. The tiger is so lifelike, even with the three puppeteers entirely visible at all times. Richard Parker is, quite possibly, the best puppetry seen onstage, or perhaps behind that seen in War Horse (which Caldwell also worked on). The six actor who played the tiger on the West End won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor – an extraordinary feat for puppeteers.
The tiger eventually left the room, with everybody fortunately still in one piece…
After this, I got to ask Chakrabarti and Caldwell a question – and it was a privilege to tell them that Life of Pi is my favourite play. Chakrabarti grinned and said “thank you” whilst Caldwell stuck a thumb up in the air. I could tell they genuinely appreciated my little complimented, even though the show has been critically acclaimed (by pretty much everyone, including me) and won five Olivier Awards and three Tonys.
I asked Chakrabarti and Caldwell about the pressure of adapting something so loved – a best-selling novel which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film – especially to South Asians because it’s one of the best pieces of representation we have had in Western culture. I joked that when I went to see the show, there were several South Asians, whereas usually it’s just me and a bunch of White people (I think there were four South Asians in the press room which, honestly, is not half bad).
Chakrabarti told me that she loved the book and focused on that. She thought, “Yes, I can do this,” and the pressure did not hit her until the first preview in Sheffield. “I thought, ‘What am I thinking? Who do I think I am?'” she laughed.
She tsaid, candidly, that even if a new production is based on an established story, “reviewers, if they don’t like it, will always come for the writer, so I felt very exposed at that point but of course you’re supported, and the work was made by a team so that protected me.”
Chakrabarti then went on to answer the next part of my question: “I guess your world view is different when you’re from a different culture or your background is different… I love [this show] because there’s Japanese [characters]; there’s Chinese characters; there’s a Black character in the London version – I don’t know if there’s gonna be on tour; there’s all kinds of South Asian characters and immigrant characters – and that, to me, is my world. That’s why it’s so important, isn’t it, to have different storytellers? Because you take your experience when you put it onstage.”
She then went on to talk about her experiences watching West End audiences: “South Asian audience, I go, ‘that’s cool, they’re here” – presumably because she’s South Asian and this is a South Asian story so she expected South Asian audiences – “but I remember seeing an East Asian family with their two young sons sitting there watching the play, and when Lulu Chen and Mr Okamoto came out, I thought, ‘Ah, how nice! Those kids are gonna go, ‘I went to the theatre and I saw me”. So it’s very pleasing.”
Caldwell then chipped in. He told me that Chakrabarti and her team put a lot energy into casting – and they were very careful about it.
He then spoke about the Broadway casting process: “We spent a lot of time and energy making sure that [the casting] was right but also making sure everyone was comfortable with it because bringing people who haven’t done so much or not seen so much – just making sure those people were cared for.
“I was always in awe of how well, carefully, gently, how listening you [Chakrabarti and the team] were. And I think that meant that the [actors] felt that they were entitled to be there, and then what that message gives to the audience as well… I’ve been on the sidelines of that but I’m always hugely impressed by that.”
Chakrabarti added: “I think what’s really important is total inclusivity of absolutely everybody, every kind and type of person – and in this show, we’ve really achieved it; there’s a flavour of everything which is what you feel when you come and watch it.”
So, come and watch it!
Life of Pi begins its UK tour at Sheffield Lyceum, where it had its world premiere, running from August 29 to September 16. It runs at The Lowry (Lyric Theatre) from December 5 to January 7 and tours the UK until July 13 2024.