Last night I took my 12 year old daughter to watch Life of Pi at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. If you get an opportunity to watch it please take it. It was absolutely phenomenal. We both loved it and the strength of the passion in the standing ovation brought tears to my eyes.
So why was Life of Pi so good?
It is an amazing and inventive production that is so clever in its use of stage, puppetry and cast. There were gasps throughout as the stage turns and a boat rises from the blank stage, clever lighting created imagery water and waves that smoothly transform back into hospital tiles floor. Not to give too much away but the stage was remarkable, with some stunning surprises. The puppeteers and  stunning animals were the stars of the show. The hyena was so menacing, the Zebra was so big and so quick! The way that tiger moved was exceptional. They gave Richard Parker (the tiger) his own character and emotions. I can’t believe how he looked sad and scared just by twitches and movements,
AD | I have been or could be if you click on a link in this post compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See our full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details.
The cast worked so well together. The ensemble moved so well, an almost balletic change of scenes with props and puppets that completely engaged all of us throughout the whole play. At times you don’t even know where to look it all was so good.
But of course the stand out performance was Pi himself. Divesh Subaskaran so was so likeable as Pi and owned the role and the stage, even with that stunning Bengal tiger!
What is the age guidance for Life of Pi?
It is age 8+ but I would absolutely recommend this production of The Life of Pi for all older children. The discussions that we had after the play ended continued all the way though our journey home- it’s themes of reality and story telling- Pi’s choice in how to express his trauma- how the animals represented the people in the boat- what each thought of the animals- what our favourite bits were- how they made that bit work and how did that happen? It will be an experience that will stay with us for a long time.
How long does Life of Pi last?
2 hours 10 minutes incl. interval
Liverpool Empire
29 April – 4 May 2024
Severn Theatre, Shrewsbury   Â
6 – 11 May 2024
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
14 – 18 May 2024
Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
3 – 15 June 2024
Glasgow Theatre Royal
17 – 22 June 2024
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
25 – 29 June 2024
Leeds Grand Theatre
2 – 13 July 2024
Northampton Derngate Theatre
15 – 20 July 2024
Karen Beddow founded Mini Travellers in 2014 while doing what she loves most...going on holiday!
Mini Travellers is for parents looking for holiday ideas, destination reviews, days out and things to do with the kids. We also have family travel tips, activity ideas and all other things family holiday related. Take a look at some of our latest reviews for holidays and day trips in the UK.