Review: Life of Pi at The Lowry Theatre in Salford*

[Ad-gifted] We were invited to the opening night of Life of Pi, the award winning best new play at The Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays last night and it is no wonder why!  It was magical, gripping, imaginative and captivating from the start to finish.

The theatre adaptation of Life of Pi by Lolita Chakrabarti is based on the book of the same name by Yann Martel, which was later made into a movie in 2012.

The plot shares the story of Piscine Molitor Patel also known as “Pi Patel” and his zookeeper family from the coastal town of Pondicherry in India.  The family decides to relocate their zoo to Canada due to political unrest and board the cargo ship Tsimtsum with the animals.  The ship sinks after encountering a storm just 4 days off Manila and there are 4 survivors stranded on the life-boat; a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a sixteen-year-old boy and a 450-pound Bengal tiger.

Time is against them and it becomes an epic journey of endurance and hope, who will survive?

What did we think about the show?

I am such a huge fan of the book and the movie and have always been in awe of the author for being so imaginative and bringing the characters to life in my head.  As I went into the theatre, I wondered, if the cast and creatives would be able to  capture the sense of wonder and to bring the magic of the book and CGI from the movie to real life at The Lowry…. and boy did they do that!

Director Max Webster did a fantastic job in captivating the audience from start to finish with the help of Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell who are the Puppet Designers. The puppets of course would have been meaningless on their own, if it was not for Finn Caldwell, the Puppet & Movement Director who brought the animals to life.

The play opens up in Mexico in 1978 in the hospital where Pi (played by Tanvi Virmani), the 16-year-old sole survivor of the shipwreck is interviewed by Mrs Okamoto (played by Lilian Tsang) and Lulu Chen (played by Bhawna Bhawsar).  The role of Pi (on press night) was played by Pi alternative, Tanvi  and she did a brilliant job in playing the character.

As Pi recollects her memories on what happened on the tragic day, the quick set change (designed by Ross Edwards) from the hospital room to the zoo and then the ship and the lifeboat and back to the hospital is done seamlessly, thanks to Tim Hatley the Set & Costume Designer.

I found myself being captivated by the dazzling flutter of butterflies and flying fish which was so cleverly done with the use of lighting and imagery projection and being intimidated by the likeness of the storm and violent sea created by Tim Lutkin, the Lighting Designer.

What sets this show apart from the rest are the menagerie of puppets.   I felt like a child, intrigued by the orangutan named Orange Juice, the zebra called Black and White, the turtle, the hyena and of course the Bengal Tiger who becomes Pi’s companion onboard the lifeboat for 227 days.  As the animals come on stage, the audience immediately notice the people inside the puppets and around them, but the handlers soon disappear and all the attention thereafter just falls on the puppets, their movement and sound.

The play not only takes the audience on a whimsical adventure but also touches on philosophical topics such religion, faith, God and shines the message of post-trauma effects and of having hope.

The play is suitable for children aged 8-years-old and above mainly due to a couple of scary scenes that sees the killing of Pi’s pet goat by Richard Parker the tiger and the animals on the boat).  In spite of that, it is a brilliant show to watch as a family this festive period especially if you are not too keen on heading to pantomimes.

This is one production worth watching and I won’t mind watching it again.

Cast

Tanvi Virmani as Pi (She has replaced Divesh Subaskaran on this particular night)

Antony Antunes performs as Tiger Hind / Cook / Father Martin,

Adwitha Arumugam as Pi Alternate

Bhawna Bhawsar as Lulu Chen/Mrs Biology Kumar

Ralph Birtwell as Mamaji/ Admiral Balbir Singh

Kriss Dosanjh as Father

Sebastian Goffin as Tiger Head

Akash Heer as Tiger Head

Romina Hytten as Tiger Heart and Hind

Katie Kennedy-Rose as Tiger Heart and Hind

Aizah Khan as Tiger Heart and Hind

Chand Martinez as Pandit-ji

Keshini Misha as Rani

Goldy Notay as Amma

Sharita Oomeer as Lulu Chen / Mrs Biology Kumar

Kate Rowsell as Tiger Heart and Hind

Lilian Tsang as Mrs Okamoto/Zaida Khan/Ships Captain

Peter Twose and Tiger Head/Voice of Richard Parker/Cook/Father Martin

Creatives

Yann Martel                                                                    Original Author
Lolita Chakrabarti                                                         Adaptation
Max Webster                                                                  Director
Tim Hatley                                                                      Set & Costume Designer
Finn Caldwell                                                                  Puppet & Movement Director
Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell                                       Puppet Designers
Andrzej Goulding                                                           Video Projection Designer
Tim Lutkin                                                                       Lighting Designer
Carolyn Downing                                                           Sound Designer
Andrew T Mackay                                                         Composer
Jack Bradley                                                                   Dramaturgy
Polly Jerrold                                                                    Casting Director
Leigh Toney                                                                     Associate Director
Scarlet Wilderink                                                          Associate Puppetry & Movement Director
Ross Edwards                                                                 Associate Set Designer
Caroline Bowman                                                          Associate Puppet Designer
Sabrina Cuniberto                                                         Costume Supervisor
Ryan O’Conner                                                               Props Supervisor

How much are the tickets?

Tickets are priced from £17 to £55.

To book tickets please call The Lowry at 08432086000 or via their website here. Age recommendation 8+.

Trigger Warnings: death, murder, animal cruelty. The performance contains smoke, haze, flashing lights and loud sounds throughout.

How long is the show for and what are the timings?

The show will be running until Sun, 7 January 2023 with performances at 7.30pm while the matinee will be at 2pm on selected days. It will have a running time of 2 hours and 9 minutes.

Accessible Performances
BSL Interpreted by Emma Jane Heap | Wed 13 Dec 2023 at 7.30pm
Audio Described by Caroline Burn | Thu 14 Dec 2023 at 2pm | Touch Tour at 12.30pm
Audio Described by Caroline Burn | Sat 23 Dec 2023 at 7.30pm | Touch Tour at 6pm
Captioned | Wed 27 Dec 2023 at 7.30pm
BSL Interpreted By Emma Jane Heap | Wed 3 Jan 2024 at 7.30pm
To book accessible performances, please email access@thelowry.com or call 0161 876 2183

Where will the performance be held?

The Lowry
The Lyric Theatre
Pier 8
The Quays
Salford
M50 3AZ
Manchester
Tel: 0843208 6000

• The Lowry welcomes all visitors regardless of their disability and strives to meet all individuals needs where possible.
• They welcome assistance dogs.
• The Lowry website is fully accessible and features BrowseAloud.  Browsealoud adds speech, reading and translation support, facilitating access and participation for those people who need support reading print, dyslexia, low literacy, mild visual impairments and those with English as a second language. To use this feature, simply click on the grey ear logo located in the footer.
• If you are driving to the show, we would recommend for you to park at The Lowry Outlet which is opposite the theatre, but be aware as there is lack of signage from the car park area to the theatre, so best to ask someone or use google maps to find your way.

  Pre paid car parking tickets can be purchased up to 24 hours prior to your performance. Please note they are unable to sell pre paid tickets on your performance date, and you will need to pay at the ticket machines in the car park. The tickets can be booked at the same time as your seats via their website, or over the phone on freephone 0343 208 6000.

About The Lowry Theatre

The Lowry is a registered charity committed to using visual and performing arts to enrich people’s lives. They present audiences with a diverse programme of theatre, opera, musicals, dance, music, comedy and visual art as well as events and activities to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike.  At the heart of their work is a commitment to the local communities and young people. Tapping into the work on their ur stages and in their galleries, they offer thousands of free creative participation opportunities each year. They are passionate about nurturing talent, developing creative professionals of the future and raising aspirations.

You may also want to read this:

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Review: Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes at The Lowry in Salford, Manchester

Review: Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror at The Lowry Theatre

Photo Credit: The Lowry Theatre