Watching “Life of Pi” at the Eccles Theater feels like walking through someone’s dream - and nightmare. The play is based on Yann Martel’s best-selling novel that follows a teenage boy named Pi (Taha Mandviwala) from his family zoo in India to a hospital in Mexico after being lost at sea for months. 

When Pi’s family decides to leave Pondicherry, due to political unrest, they take their animals and board a cargo ship for Canada. A storm sinks the ship, with Pi and several animals the only survivors. When a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker ends up stranded with Pi on the lifeboat, Pi develops a complex relationship with him based on fear, survival, resilience and faith.

The tiger is a fascinating, intricate puppet worked by a team of remarkably skilled puppeteers (Ben Durocher, Shiloh Goodin, Anna Leigh Gortner, Aaron Haskell, Toussaint Jeanlouis, Betsy Rosen, Anna Vomacka and Andrew Wilson). 

From the flick of his ear to the sway of his tail, the tiger is always in motion and is entirely captivating. When we first meet Richard Parker, he’s stalking, then eating, the beloved family goat in a way that’s mesmerizing and unsettling. 

The puppeteers also bring a hyena, zebra and an orangutan to life, as well as a sea turtle, butterflies, constellations and a giraffe. The imagination and creativity used for these characters are stunning and inventive. 

As a theatrical experience, “Life of Pi” blurs the line between truth, imagination and belief, drawing the audience into Pi’s journey in a way that feels grand in scope yet intimate in nature. It was both enthralling and disquieting.

We first meet Pi when he’s being interviewed by Japanese minister Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) and a representative of the Canadian Embassy, Lulu Chen (Mi Kang). They’re trying to understand his story of the shipwreck and his journey to Mexico. 

The telling of his story blends theatrical magic, stunning visuals, emotional intensity, innovative choreography and mind-blowing puppetry. Mandviwala imbues his character with energy, humor, courage and heartbreak. 

Presented by Zions Bank and Broadway at the Eccles, the show is recommended for ages 13+. It contains mature content and violence, smoke, flashing lights and loud sounds, as well as scenes of animal ferocity and death.

The Tony Award-winning “Life of Pi”, produced by Simon Friend, Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, Mark Gordon Pictures, and NETworks Presentations, brings Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation to life at the Eccles Theater through Sunday, April 6 at 131 Main Street in Salt Lake City.