By The Fabulous Fox has opened its 2025–2026 Broadway Series with Life of Pi, based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel and the 2012 film. While it may seem unusual for the theater to begin its season with a non-musical, Life of Pi is a poignant and visually stunning story that is sure to resonate with audiences.
The play opens in a hospital in Mexico, where teenager Pi Patel is being interviewed after surviving an extraordinary ordeal of being stranded for 227 days at sea following a shipwreck. The only other survivors in his lifeboat are animals from the zoo his father once ran in India, most notably Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger whom Pi must learn to coexist with in order to stay alive.
The play is artfully told. A very technical heavy show, the relationship between the set, the lighting, the sound and foremost, the puppetry is phenomenal. For theatergoers, this may be one show where sitting higher up in the mezzanine section offers the most breathtaking perspective. The stage floor comes alive with projections of sea life, crashing waves, and the ship’s destruction, highlighting the varying interactions Pi has as he struggles to survive at sea. Composer Andrew T. Mackay’s dramatic orchestration underscores the story beautifully, shifting from the joyful sounds at the zoo in India to the horrible, tension-filled moments at sea with a Bengal tiger.
What stands out most is the stunning puppetry performed by Ben Durocher, Austin Wong Harper, and Anna Vomacka. The puppets themselves are extraordinary. Within the play, and amongst the set and lighting design, one can almost believe they are not puppets, but the actual animals they portray. The puppeteers bring each animal, especially the Bengal tiger, to life with such authority and precision that the cast seem to vanish even as they remain in plain sight.
Taha Mandviwala delivers an exceptional performance as Pi, capturing the full range of the character’s emotional journey. Through his portrayal, the audience experiences Pi’s search for faith, loss of innocence, fierce will to survive, and evolving sense of perspective. In Mandviwala’s hands, these themes are explored with striking depth and authenticity.
Though often somber and even heartbreaking, the play stands as a powerful testament to the human spirit and is executed with remarkable artistry. Theatergoers will appreciate the thought-provoking script, as well as the breathtaking puppetry, lighting and set design that make Life of Pi an unforgettable experience that they will still be thinking about days later.
Life of Pi plays at The Fabulous Fox Theater through October 19, 2025.
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade