Who doesn’t want to see a life-size tiger on the stage!
Five star theatrical phenomenon Life of Pi is touring the UK. NATALIE BANYARD caught up with actress, puppeteer and former Bristol Hippodrome employee Kate Rowsell, before it arrives at the venue
AFTER conquering the West End and Broadway, the award-winning theatrical phenomenon Life of Pi embarks on its biggest adventure yet. Jaw-dropping visuals and world-class puppetry combine in a unique and breathtaking show that has set sail on its first UK tour, and drops anchor at The Bristol Hippodrome from January 15 to 20; before touring to Cheltenham and other venues across the country.
Life of Pi had a first life as a Booker prize-winning novel by Yann Martel and a second as an Oscar-winning film by Ang Lee. Both were utterly captivating. Now comes playwright Lolita Chakrabarti’s awe-inspiring new theatrical adaptation of this epic journey of endurance and hope.
After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, there are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a 16-yearold boy and a 450 pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?
Intelligent, sympathetic, vibrant and visually stunning, this story of endurance and resilience told through the eyes of young Piscine ‘Pi’ Patel (Divesh Subaskaran), the young son of a manager of a struggling zoo in 1970s India, has been garnering rave reviews and a hatful of awards.
The puppets are the stars of this impressive and moving show, with designs based on the skeletal anatomy of their realworld counterparts, to accurately replicate the animals’ natural movement and allow for a broad range of emotional expression.
The puppets are controlled onstage by performers – the larger puppets, such as the tiger, require a multiperson team – who are visible to the audience and costumed to match the set’s aesthetic. It’s truly mesmerising, and audiences are able to suspend their disbelief as the animals appear to come to life before their very eyes.
One of those talented puppeteers is Bristol’s Kate Rowsell, who will be welcomed back to the Bristol Hippodrome with open arms having worked at the theatre as front of house supervisor from 2015 to 2020. Now she is thrilled to be performing on the famous stage of her old workplace as the tiger’s heart and hind...
You are part of a talented team playing the life-size Bengal Tiger. Where did you discover your love of puppetry?
While I was living in Bristol, I was a part of a theatre company called Palomar Theatre. One of the first shows we made was called Darlings that included these really haunting child-size puppets. It was the first time I can remember really thinking about how to manipulate an object to look life-like and considering how something moved in such detail. It was so interesting. I was then lucky enough to be cast in a project called The Hatchling with Mervyn Millar, which was about a huge dragon puppet that needed 14 people to operate it at once. I met so many incredible puppeteers that were inspiring and just really nice people that it felt like I had found my tribe.
How long ago did your journey with Life of Pi begin?
I first went to see it when it was in the West End back in May 2022. I hadn’t been living in London long and being able to see so much theatre was making me giddy. I remember leaving completely blown away at the puppetry and total skill those puppeteers had shown.
I would never have guessed I would be auditioning for it, let alone cast in it the following May!
What kind of reaction do you get from audiences?
Complete shock a lot of the time! Particularly at the end of Act One, sometimes they’re so stunned to silence that we all wait a moment in the wings to see if they’re still there. When the lights come back up they all erupt into applause once they’ve recovered. It’s wild.
From the tiger’s first appearance, the audience somehow ignore the figures working around him. How do you learn to become invisible, and to take cues from and communicate with each other without the audience noticing?
The key is actually not to hide at all. We’re not trying to hide, but the audience just sort of accepts we’re there, and then they forget about us and just watch the animals. I think we become invisible when the puppetry is good. Us group of puppeteers have been working together and learning each other’s rhythms since rehearsals, so we can communicate with just breath and sound now, it’s a wonderful feeling.
Although this is acting, it’s very different to playing a role. It’s very much an ego-free team who are directing its audience to look at the puppet and not at them.
We’re still thinking about the animal’s intention, its thoughts and feelings, and the story as a whole. But rather than putting that into our own bodies, we’re putting that into what we’re puppeteering. Just by us looking at the object we’re manipulating, the audience’s gaze is directed to look at that object too.
In your opinion, what’s the secret of this show’s success and longevity?
For me, the story is very beautiful. It’s about survival and perseverance in the face of tragedy, which I think everyone can be inspired by. But also, who doesn’t want to see a life-size tiger on the stage?!
How does this touring version compare to the West End production?
In the West End, the life boat could rise and fall out of the stage itself, but on tour our life boat comes on and off. This created an exciting opportunity to have some really cool moments of movement and ensemble that involves the whole company. It has made us closer, I think.
You studied and worked in Bristol – and at the Bristol Hippodrome – what are you most looking forward to about bringing the show to the city?
It’s going to be so weird! I’m so, so excited. I worked at the Hippodrome in front of house for about five years and never saw the dressing rooms or even stepped onto the stage, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like from the other side. It’s also so nice to be performing to a familiar crowd. I wish I could go back and tell my past self that you’ll be performing up there eventually. I also can’t wait to show my fellow company members all my favourite places!
What do you hope audiences will take home from this beautiful adaptation?
I think the show means different things to different people. I hope they feel inspired like I was and enjoy the magic that the show offers.
Life of Pi is at the Bristol Hippodrome from January 15 to 20 and Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, from June 11 to 15. To book visit lifeofpionstage. com